Captain Lakshmi Sahgal: Officer Of The Indian National Army

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2020 marks the 106th birth anniversary of Lakshmi Sahgal, the ardent freedom fighter and a social activist who served in Subhash Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army (INA). ‘Captain Lakshmi’, as she was fondly called, dedicated her life to public service in various capacities — as the commander of the all-woman regiment in the Indian National Army; as a medical practitioner serving among the poor and the marginalised; and as a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Sahgal was unequivocally committed to the ideals of socialism, anti-imperialism, equality, secularism, social justice, women empowerment, and adhered to them in her professional and personal life.

Lakshmi Swaminathan, popular as Capt. Lakshmi Sahgal was born on 24 October 1914 to Ammu Swaminathan, a social worker and Dr. S. Swaminathan, noted lawyer in Chennai. A Padma Vibhushan awardee in the year 1998 was a significant voice of Indian women’s movement prior to the Independence and later as well, carefully drawing a line between politics and activism on women’s issues. She worked as a medical practitioner in Singapore after completing her medical education from Madras Medical College in 1938.

Her meeting with Subash Chandra Bose in Singapore changed a lot for her. However, she had seen him in meetings and programmes when she had accompanied her mother in her early childhood days. While talking about her days in the Indian National Army, she narrates about her unwillingness to be a part of the recruitment drive of doctors into the (British Indian) Army post Second World War and therefore, she chose to go to Singapore in 1940 to pursue her medical practice.

“The Japanese forces attacked Singapore on December 8, 1941. Rashbehari Bose, who was a veteran freedom fighter, had come with the Japanese. He started the India Independence League. All Indians were expected to join the League. It was helpful because we got our ration cards, and Indian property was not treated as enemy property, and Indians were not recruited forcibly. I joined the League but could only do welfare work and underground broadcasts.” – Lakshmi Sahgal in My days in the Indian National Army.

On 8 July 1943, Sahgal had started recruiting other women into INA. Soon a regiment of 1500 women trained as soldiers was ready. In the Provisional government of Azad Hindi formed by Bose, Sehgal was appointed as a minister and handed over the portfolio of Women’s Affairs and Rani of Jhansi Regiment. Subash Bose was equally overwhelmed to find a woman to lead the regiment.

In the post-Independence era, Sahgal resumed her medical practice in Kanpur. She worked among the refugees of post-Partition India. During the Bangladesh war of 1971, she travelled to Calcutta (as it was known then) and worked in the border areas of Bongaon for six weeks, providing medical help to the displaced and the migrants.

She joined CPM in 1971 and remained an active member till the end of her life. Sahgal was the founding member of the All India Democratic Women’s Association, which was formed in 1981. The organisation became a suitable platform for her to raise women’s issues consistently and embark on several campaigns for the same. She became the joint candidate for the Left parties in the presidential elections of 2002 and ran against A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. Although she lost the election, she spent a number of days traversing the length and breadth of the country, addressing a number of rallies.

She died of a cardiac arrest causing a brain stroke on 23 July 2012 in Kanpur at the age of 97 after suffering from a prolonged sickness. In her final rites, tributes were paid by political leaders from various parties, activists, communists, school children as well as students from colleges and universities amid revolutionary slogans.

Across generations, people admire her, and women especially such is her aura and contribution in public and social affairs. Some lives are born to make a difference and such was the figure of our beloved Lakshmi Sahgal who lived for others’ celebrating life, happiness, freedom and Nation.

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We are living in a time where people are doing unconventional jobs — turning their hobby into a passion and working for causes they really care for! And women are no different — from sports to hospitality, military, dance, photography or what not — women are setting new boundaries. On the eve of World Photography Day, here are a few of the Indian female photographers who are shaking up our perspectives on India.

Arati Kumar Rao

An environmental photographer, Arati is on an infinite journey to tell the hidden stories of South Asia’s rivers that are worsening due to human activities, slowly but drastically. She tries to seize a glimpse of the violence inflicted on the people living on the riverbanks in her photographs. A lot of those people are denied basic human rights in the name of development.

She spends her time in field research and portrays a lived experience which is immeasurably impacted by the negative impact humans have on the environment. She hopes that people will pay attention to her work, the symptoms and real causes for these deteriorations happening in our valuable ecosystems and communities.

Karen Dias

A photojournalist and documentary photographer, Karen has a special interest in issues concerning indigenous communities, women, and the environment. She is a self-taught photographer who believes that it’s a beautiful way of telling a story.

“In early February, on a cold winter’s evening, hundreds of bodybuilders from across the country gathered in Chandigarh to compete in the 8th Federation Cup in the Senior National Men’s and Women’s Bodybuilding Championship. Only eight of those bodybuilders were women. While it’s been rare to see Indian women pursue professional bodybuilding, the numbers are slowly rising, and many are competing, and winning titles, internationally,” she recalls this click of hers.

Cheena Kapoor

A photojournalist who has spent time with women involved in commercial surrogacy and young female drug addicts, Cheena loves exploring the streets of India’s red-light districts and the corridors of mental asylums in India. She tries to present their lived experiences, with humility and respect, to the outer world who otherwise, she believes would have never got a glimpse of this world.

“I got the opportunity to visit the Indian Naval Academy in Kozhikode, Kerala, in March 2018, to document 12 lady cadets who were training alongside 1,200 male cadets. These ‘women with anchors’ have chosen a career not many would dare pursue. I learned that the only option for women, who have a Bachelor’s degree in engineering and wish to serve in the Indian Navy, is a six-month course at the academy, where gender lines have been blurred,” shares Cheena while talking about this photo.

Saumya Khandelwal

A photographer always on the lookout for stories of lives behind closed doors, Saumya finds an unaccountable joy in discovering deeper layers of people and cultures through her lens. She captures the stories of girls who live without a sense of escape or alternative and hope that her work will compel others to support child welfare.

“Gender equality begins with educating a girl child. In rural India, it takes a lot of courage for parents to provide and continue the education of their daughters, given the high rates of child marriage and sexual abuse. But only if more girls continue to make it to school, they will become better mothers, who will raise better families. This will allow their daughters to have brighter futures,” Saumya said.

Anushree Fadnavis

A photojournalist who finds joy in unexpected simple stories, Anushree believes that every picture has a story — the more you observe it, the more it tells you.

“Growing up, I had always been told that I should behave a certain way because I am a girl. Aren’t we girls always taught to respect the “male gaze”? “Sit properly!” “Cover your knees!” “Don’t wear that revealing top” “Come home by 7 PM!” These were some of the diktats that I had to adhere to, while my cousin brothers never had such rules. When I saw this lady sleeping contentedly in a public space, I had this rushing sense of comfort. What a beautiful, liberating space the ladies compartment is where we, women, can just be ourselves. Public space is for everyone, and I believe that one need not act to gratify others. This image is not about breaking stereotypes but having the same rights as everyone,” Anushree shares her emotion while clicking this picture.

Paromita Chatterjee

A photographer who believes that every artist has got some responsibilities, Paromita firstly realized this when she documented the Lok Sabha elections in Varanasi when she was young. She went on photographing a woman who had lost her children to malnutrition due to an epidemic in the village. She got to learn how those villagers pinned their hope for aid on people in the media with this experience.

She understood power dynamics that come from capturing suffering. Inspired by Robert Capa’s statement, “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough,” Paromita tries to get as close as possible to her subjects in an attempt to promote social change.

Rathika Ramasamy

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A wildlife photographer, Rathika hails from a village called Venkatachalapuram near Theni which is in Southern India. She loves to connect with the drama and colours of nature and loves doing bird photography. She walks with her camera through the national parks, forests, secluded areas and tries to grab every possible moment in her clicks.

Her style shows her passion and dedication to her work. Her work has also been praised and featured at several national and international platforms. She also takes wildlife photography workshops and hopes to change the perspective of the world towards wildlife welfare — one click at a time.

And the list is vast and amazing. And since I know I’ve missed many names here, please tag your favourite photographer diva who is all determined to change the people’s perspectives with her work. #WorldPhotographyDay