Lakshmi Sahgal: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|officer in the Indian National Army(INA) and former Presidential candidate of India}}

{{Use Indian English|date=September 2016}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}

'''Lakshmi Sahgal''' ({{audio|Laxmi Sahgal.ogg|pronunciation}}) (born '''Lakshmi Swaminathan'''; 24 October 1914 – 23 July 2012) was a revolutionary of the Indian independence movement, an officer of the [[Indian National Army]], and the Minister of Women's Affairs in the [[Azad Hind Government|Azad Hind government]]. Lakshmi is commonly referred to in India as '''Captain Lakshmi''', a reference to her rank when taken prisoner in Burma during the Second World War.

Captain Lakshmi was born in a [[Tamil language|Tamil]] [[brahmin]] family<ref>{{Cite web|date=2012-07-24|title="She was a true Communist"|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/news-archive/web/she-was-a-true-communist/|access-date=2022-01-12|website=The Indian Express|language=en}}</ref> as Lakshmi Swaminathan in [[Madras]]<ref name=Hindu_fulfilling /> on 24 October 1914 to S. Swaminathan, a lawyer who practiced criminal law at [[Madras High Court]], and A.V. Ammukutty, better known as [[Ammu Swaminathan]], a social worker and independence activist from an aristocratic Nair family known as "Vadakkath" family of [[Anakkara (Palakkad)|Anakkara]], [[Ponnani taluk]], [[Malabar District]], [[British Raj|British India]].<ref name=Hindu_fulfilling>{{cite news|last=Kolappan|first=B.|title=A fulfilling journey that began in Madras|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/article3675707.ece|access-date=24 July 2012|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=24 July 2012|location=Chennai, India}}</ref> She is the elder sister of [[Mrinalini Sarabhai]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/mrinalini-sarabhai-ammu-swaminathan-lakshmi-sehgal-5172352/ |title=The legacy of Mrinalini Sarabhai’s family |date=11 May 2018 |work=[[The Indian Express]] |access-date=22 October 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Menon |first1=Parvathi |title=Captain Lakshmi Sahgal (1914 - 2012) - A life of struggle |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/captain-lakshmi-sahgal-1914-2012-a-life-of-struggle/article3672666.ece |website=The Hindu |access-date=23 October 2019 |date=23 July 2012}}</ref>

Lakshmi studied in [[Queen Mary's College, Chennai|Queen Mary's College]]<ref name=Hindu_fulfilling/><ref>{{cite journal | url=http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl2008/stories/20030425006013300.htm | title=The end of a women's college? | author=Asha Krishnakumar | journal=Frontline | year=2003 | volume=20 | issue=08}}</ref> and later chose to study medicine and received an MBBS degree from [[Madras Medical College]] in 1938. A year later, she received her diploma in [[gynaecology]] and [[obstetrics]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Capt Lakshmi Sehgal, chief of INA women’s regiment, passes away at 97|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120723/jsp/frontpage/story_15761639.jsp#.UA0yM2HKnMA|access-date=23 July 2012|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=23 July 2012|location=Calcutta, India}}</ref> She worked as a doctor in the Government Kasturba Gandhi Hospital located at [[Triplicane]] Chennai.<ref name=Hindu_fulfilling/>

The INA marched to Burma with the [[Imperial Japanese Army|Japanese army]] in December 1944, but by March 1945, with the tide of war turning against them, the INA leadership decided to beat a retreat before they could enter [[Imphal]]. Captain Lakshmi was arrested by the British army in May 1945, remaining in [[Burma]] until March 1946, when she was sent to India – at a time when the [[INA trials]] in Delhi heightened popular discontent with and hastened the end of colonial rule.<ref name="thehindu" />

In 1971, Lakshmi joined the [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]] and represented the party in the [[Rajya Sabha]]. During the [[Bangladesh liberation war|Bangladesh crisis]], she organised relief camps and medical aid in Calcutta for refugees who streamed into India from Bangladesh. She was one of the founding members of [[All India Democratic Women's Association]] in 1981 and led many of its activities and campaigns.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tamilnadu.com/personalities/lakshmi-sehgal.html|title=Lakshmi Sehgal|publisher=Tamilnadu.com|date=24 January 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411215433/http://tamilnadu.com/personalities/lakshmi-sehgal.html|archive-date=11 April 2013}}</ref> She led a medical team to Bhopal after the gas tragedy in December 1984, worked towards restoring peace in Kanpur following the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 and was arrested for her participation in a campaign against the Miss World competition in Bangalore in 1996.<ref name="thehindu" />  She was still seeing patients regularly at her clinic in Kanpur in 2006, at the age of 92.<ref name="thehindu" />

In 2002, four leftist parties{{spaced ndash}}the [[Communist Party of India]], the [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]], the [[Revolutionary Socialist Party (India)|Revolutionary Socialist Party]], and the [[All India Forward Bloc]]{{spaced ndash}}nominated Sahgal as a candidate in the presidential elections. She was the sole opponent of [[A.P.J. Abdul Kalam]], who emerged victorious.<ref>{{cite news|title=Freedom fighter Captain Lakshmi Sehgal dead|url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/node/142996|access-date=23 July 2012|newspaper=Deccan Chronicle|date=23 July 2012}}</ref>

Subhashini is a prominent Communist politician and labour activist. According to Ali, Lakshmi was an [[atheist]]. The filmmaker [[Shaad Ali]] is her grandson.<ref>{{cite news|title=Freedom fighter Captain Lakshmi Sehgal passes away|url=http://www.indiatimes.com/national/freedom-fighter-captain-lakshmi-sehgal-passes-away-33204.html | work=The Times Of India}}</ref>

On 19 July 2012, Sahgal suffered a cardiac arrest and died on 23 July 2012 at 11:20 A.M. at the age of 97 at Kanpur.<ref>{{cite news| url= http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Captain-Lakshmi-Sahgal-passes-away/articleshow/15103237.cms | title=Captain Lakshmi Sahgal passes away

  | date= 23 July 2012 | work=The Times Of India}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=PTI |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/exemplary-life-capt-lakshmi-sehgal-met-patients-till-the-end/article3673445.ece |title=Exemplary life: Capt Lakshmi Sehgal met patients till the end |publisher=The Hindu |date=23 July 2012 |access-date=31 March 2014}}</ref> Her body was donated to [[Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College]] for medical research.<ref>{{cite news|author=TAPAS CHAKRABORTY |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120724/jsp/northeast/story_15763592.jsp#.UA4bF80bsQ0 |title=Lakshmi Sehgal no more |publisher=Telegraphindia.com |date=24 July 2012 |access-date=31 March 2014}}</ref>

In 1998, Sahgal was awarded the [Padma Vibhushan] by Indian president [[K. R. Narayanan]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/lakshmi-sahgal-19142012/article3657355.ece#im-image-0 |title=Lakshmi Sahgal (1914-2012) |date=23 July 2012 |work=The Hindu }}</ref> In 2010, she was bestowed with [[honorary doctorate]] by [[University of Calicut]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-12-02 |title=Mammootty Conferred D.Litt by Calicut University |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/newswire/story/mammootty-conferred-dlitt-by-calicut-university/703504 |access-date=2020-11-05 |website=[[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook India]]}}</ref>

* [http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/freedom-fighter-captain-lakshmi-sahgal-dies-246468 Freedom fighter Captain Lakshmi Sahgal dies], NDTV