Lakshmi Sahgal (24 October 1914 – 23 July 2012), known as Captain Lakshmi, was an Indian doctor, freedom fighter and political activist. She commanded the Rani of Jhansi Regiment, the women’s unit of the Indian National Army raised by Subhas Chandra Bose during the Second World War, and was a minister in his Azad Hind government. After independence she practised medicine among the poor of Kanpur for some sixty years, and in 2002 she was the Left parties’ candidate for President of India.
Quick Facts
| Birth name | Lakshmi Swaminathan |
| Born | 24 October 1914, Madras (now Chennai), India |
| Died | 23 July 2012 (aged 97), Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh |
| Occupation | Physician, freedom fighter, politician |
| Known for | Commander, Rani of Jhansi Regiment, Indian National Army |
| Education | Madras Medical College (MBBS, 1938) |
| Spouse | Prem Kumar Sahgal (m. 1947) |
| Children | 2 daughters, including Subhashini Ali |
| Awards | Padma Vibhushan (1998) |
Early Life
She was born in Madras to S. Swaminathan, a leading lawyer, and Ammu Swaminathan, a social worker who later sat in the Constituent Assembly. Her younger sister was the dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai. As a girl she defied the practice of untouchability in her grandmother’s house in Kerala and burned her foreign clothes in the nationalist cause. She qualified as a doctor at Madras Medical College in 1938 and took a diploma in gynaecology and obstetrics.
Singapore and the Indian National Army
In 1940 she went to Singapore and set up a clinic for poor Indian migrant labourers. When the city fell to Japan in 1942 she treated wounded prisoners of war and came into contact with the Indian independence movement there.
Bose arrived in Singapore in July 1943 and spoke of raising a regiment of women. She met him within days and was given the task. The Rani of Jhansi Regiment drew its recruits largely from the daughters of Indian plantation workers in Malaya, and at its height had about a thousand women under arms. She became known as Captain Lakshmi, a title that stayed with her for life, and in October 1943 she was named minister for women’s affairs in the Provisional Government of Free India.
The regiment moved to Burma for the campaign towards Imphal. After the defeat she retreated on foot through the jungle, was captured by British forces in 1945 and was held in Burma until March 1946, when she was sent back to India to a public welcome.
Kanpur
In March 1947 she married Colonel Prem Kumar Sahgal, one of the three officers tried at the Red Fort, and they settled in Kanpur. She opened a maternity clinic, first for refugees arriving from Pakistan, and went on seeing patients, many of them without charge, until a few days before her death.
Politics
She joined the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in 1971 and was a member of the Rajya Sabha. That year she ran medical camps for refugees from Bangladesh. She was a founder of the All India Democratic Women’s Association in 1981, led a medical team to Bhopal after the gas disaster of 1984 and stood in the streets of Kanpur to protect Sikh families during the riots that year. In 2002, at eighty-seven, she contested the presidential election against A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, knowing she could not win.
Death and Family
She died in Kanpur on 23 July 2012 after a heart attack, and her body was donated for medical research. Her elder daughter, Subhashini Ali, is a politician and trade unionist. The dancer Mallika Sarabhai is her niece.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Lakshmi Sahgal born?
Lakshmi Sahgal was born on 24 October 1914 in Madras (now Chennai), India.
When did Lakshmi Sahgal die?
Died: 23 July 2012 (aged 97), Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
What is Lakshmi Sahgal known for?
Known for: Commander, Rani of Jhansi Regiment, Indian National Army.
What honours has Lakshmi Sahgal received?
Padma Vibhushan (1998).
Featured image: Lakshmi Sahgal saluting as an officer of the Indian National Army, 1940s. Photo by an unknown photographer, in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
