​Independence Day 2025: 5 lesser known women nationalists​

Women freedom fighters-a phrase that often makes us wonder: if we start counting, will we ever run out of fingers? From secretly saving lives, to sheltering revolutionaries and playing the part of the ‘innocent woman’ to outsmart the British, they risked everything-except their dignity and their bond with the tricolour. But did they get the equal spotlight they deserved, or did they remain just another supporting character in the movie named ‘Indian freedom fighters’? Here are five women who deserve to be everything but a side character-as in the chapter of India’s freedom fighters, they wrote their own pages with their own ink named ‘struggle’.

What is a 14-year-old expected to do? Play with a dollhouse? Worry about school exams? Or maybe dream about the future lying on a bed? In 1931, Suniti Choudhury was doing none of these. At an age when most teenagers are protected from any sort of danger, she was already a committed revolutionary not only in her head but also through her activities, carrying a pistol and a strong determination to free her country from British rule. Born in 1917 in Comilla (now in Bangladesh), Suniti was deeply influenced by nationalist ideals and trained in armed resistance. At just 14, alongside her equally brave friend Santi Ghose, she walked into the office of Charles Geoffrey Buckland Stevens, the infamous British district magistrate notorious for his cruelty, and shot him dead in a daring act of showing disobedience. She was arrested immediately and sentenced to life imprisonment. 14-year old Suniti spent years behind bars before being released and proved patriotism knows no age .

No freedom fighter’s life can be imagined without raising the slogan of ‘Inqilab Zindabad’, but what about the woman who spent most of her life fighting for her husband who coined the term ‘Inqilab Zindabad’? Nishat-un-Nisa, often regarded as the wife of Maulana Hasrat Mohani. But is that enough to describe a woman like her? Every time Hasrat was jailed for different anti-British movements, Nishat came out in public to defend her husband in the court trial, removing her veil as a courageous act. She was the first Muslim woman to address a Congress session without purdah(veil) as well. She wrote extensively and demanded the release of freedom fighters from jail. Not only did she push for complete independence (Purna Swaraj), she also set precedents for Muslim women's political engagement.

One who did not leave, but rather combined her promising medical career with the Indian independence journey and became a healer-cum-commander, without being trapped between passion and profession. Possessing tremendous empathy for people, Dr. Lakshmi Sahgal’s life changed when she met Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, who always had the sharpest eye for choosing people who could ‘lead’. Sehgal joined as the commander of the Rani of Jhansi Regiment, the all-women combat regiment in the Indian National Army led by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. She continued serving people till her very last breath, proving that a woman can heal silently and protest vocally , if she chooses to

A woman marched fearlessly through the streets of Siwan in 1942, with one focused motive: to hoist the national flag at the the local Siwan police station in defiance of British rule. When police bullets struck her husband, she tore strips from her sari to bandage his wounds, then pressed forward, determined to complete their mission. Only after returning did she learn that her husband had died. That woman was Tara Rani Srivastava. Born in the Saran district of Bihar and married at a young age, Tara Rani questioned social norms at every stage of her life. Her husband's death surely shook her but was unable to stop the flame within her. She continued encouraging other women to join the freedom struggle, proving that personal tragedy is inferior in front of the nation’s needs.

In the bustling capital city of Delhi, there’s a prominent road named in honor of Aruna Asaf Ali-Aruna Asaf Ali Marg-a daily reminder to millions of a fearless spirit and the legacy of a woman who gave India much more than just a road’s name. Known as the "Grand Old Lady" of the Quit India Movement, she chose to hoist the Congress flag at Gowalia Tank Maidan in Bombay on August 9, 1942, when the British authorities arrested the major Congress leaders. She was imprisoned multiple times and organized political prisoners, leading hunger strikes against prison abuses. She chose to speak up at a time when ‘being quiet’ seemed much more convenient