Manmohini Sahgal (née Zutshi, 1909–1994) was an Indian

freedom fighter A freedom fighter is a person engaged in a struggle to achieve political freedom, particularly against an established government. The term is typically reserved for those who are actively involved in armed or otherwise violent rebellion. Termi ...

and politician. She was a member of the

Nehru–Gandhi family The Nehru–Gandhi family is an Indian political family that has occupied a prominent place in the politics of India. The involvement of the family has traditionally revolved around the Indian National Congress, as various members have tradit ...

Biography

Her father was a nephew to

Motilal Nehru Motilal Nehru (6 May 1861 – 6 February 1931) was an Indian lawyer, activist, and politician affiliated with the Indian National Congress. He served as the Congress President twice, from 1919 to 1920 and from 1928 to 1929. He was a patriarch ...

, and she was therefore

Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...

's first cousin once removed. She was born and grew up in Motilal Nehru's home in

Allahabad Prayagraj (, ; ISO 15919, ISO: ), formerly and colloquially known as Allahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi, Varanasi (Benar ...

. As many others in the family, she was an active participant in India's struggle for independence. A leader in student politics during her college years, Sahgal followed her mother and sisters in brief prison terms for demonstrating against the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

. Between 1930 and 1935, Sahgal finished college, became a teacher and was a member of the revolutionary

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

. In 1935, Sahgal married a government

bureaucrat A bureaucrat is a member of a bureaucracy and can compose the administration of any organization of any size, although the term usually connotes someone within an institution of government. The term ''bureaucrat'' derives from "bureaucracy", wh ...

and had to give up politics as well as active association with her old friends. In her autobiography she describes following her husband to various posts, supervising a growing household. Sahgal joined various ladies clubs and volunteer welfare organizations: as a member of the Catering Advisory Committee for the North Eastern Railway, she investigated charges against "crooked" vendors at train stations. She made an unsuccessful run for public office in a New Delhi by-election in 1961, she was supported by the Swatantra Party under Sir Sobha Singh, though an inter-party coup led by the Socialist manager of the Delhi Swatantra Party led to her loss.

Autobiography

References

Indian National Congress politicians from Uttar Pradesh Indian independence activists from Uttar Pradesh Nehru–Gandhi family Women in Uttar Pradesh politics 1909 births 1994 deaths Politicians from Prayagraj Women Indian independence activists 20th-century Indian women 20th-century Indian people 20th-century Indian women politicians 20th-century Indian politicians {{UttarPradesh-INC-politician-stub