Voices from the Indian Feminist Movement
TIMELINE EVENT
Indian Independence and Women's Rights
Women were an integral part of the Indian Independence movement. Many of them, including my great-grandmother, marched with freedom fighters such as Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. When male members of the movement were arrested, women would often step up and finish their assigned jobs. They served as impromptu nurses
to their fallen colleagues when protests got violent. Female leaders such as Sarojini Naidu, Usha Mehta, Kasturba Gandhi, Aruna Asaf Ali and many others were icons of the Independence struggle, and played pivotal roles in the newly independent government.
After Indian Independence in 1947, the Constitution allowed women the right to vote, as well as equal status under the law. Sarojini Naidu, prominent freedom fighter who was often dubbed the "Nightingale of India" was appointed as the first female governor of India. On the same day, Amrit Kaur was announced as the first female Cabinet minister. Since then, Indian women have become fully participating members of the world's largest democracy.
Sarojini Naidu with Mahatma Gandhi in 1931, headed to represent India at the Round Table Conference in England.
Image Credit: MSN India