Key Highlights
- Captain Lakshmi Sahgal was a physician turned freedom fighter who championed women’s rights.
- She commanded the all-women Rani of Jhansi Regiment of the Indian National Army.
- After her wartime capture, she survived, later entered politics and remained an active social worker into her late 90s.
- Post-humously awarded the Padma Vibhushan, she remains a revered icon in Indian history.
- Her image appears in films and series, continuing to inspire new generations.
Detailed Insights
Born into an aristocratic Nair family in the Malabar district, Lakshmi pursued medical studies at Queen Mary’s College and the Madras Medical College, earning an MBBS in 1938. She practiced obstetrics and gynecology at the Government Kasturba Gandhi Hospital in Chennai before moving to Singapore in 1940, where she met Indian National Army cadres.
In 1943, when Subhas Chandra Bose arrived in Singapore, he raised the all-women Rani of Jhansi Regiment and appointed Lakshmi as its commander, hence the sobriquet “Captain Lakshmi.” She later served as Minister of Women’s Affairs in the Provisional Government of Free India and marched into Burma in 1944. Captured by the British in 1945, she was imprisoned in Burma until 1946 before returning to India.
After independence, she joined the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in 1971 and engaged in relief work during the Bangladesh refugee influx, Bhopal gas disaster, and post-1984 anti-Sikh riots in Kanpur. She also helped found the All India Democratic Women’s Association.
She married Prem Kumar Sahgal in 1947, had two daughters—Subhashini Ali and Anisa Puri—who later pursued political careers, and continued practicing medicine well into her 90s.
She died on 23 July 2012 at 97, after cardiac arrest. Her body was donated to medical research and she received the Padma Vibhushan posthumously. Portrayals in the 2004 film Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero and the 2020 Amazon Prime series The Forgotten Army – Azaadi Ke Liye have kept her story alive.
Key Concepts
- Indian National Army (INA): A force established by Subhas Chandra Bose to fight British rule.
- Provisional Government of Free India: An interim administration proclaimed by Bose in 1943.
- Rani of Jhansi Regiment: The all-women infantry unit commanded by Lakshmi.
- Padma Vibhushan: India’s second highest civilian honour.
- Bhopal gas tragedy: The 1984 industrial disaster in Bhopal that triggered extensive relief work.