Women in Indian National Movement

British wanted to educated Indian women:

• Civil Servant’s wife
• Loyal sons 

1) Pioneer women

• Pandita Ramabai (Arya Mahila Samaj)
• Sister Subalakshmi (Sharda Union)
• Begum Rokeya Hussian
• Tarabai Shinde (Satyasodhak Samaj)

2) Mother figure as a national idea

• Bande Matram in Anandmath
• Bharat Mata (AN Tagore)

3) Swadeshi – Sarla Devi Chaudhrani – Bharat Stree Mahamandal 1904
4) NCM – low participation

• Basanti Devi & other courted arrest

5) CDM – participation most organized in Bombay, most militant in Bengal and limited in Madras; Sarojini Naidu led Dharsana salt depot raid; Rani Guidilu
6) QIM – significant participation

• Sucheta Kriplani coordinated nonviolent resistance
• Aruna Asaf Ali – underground activities

7) INA – Lakshmi Sehgal
8) Revolutionaries –

•  Bina Das attempted assassination on Gov of Bengal (32)
•  Kalpana Dutta in Chittagong Raid 

Why the response to Gandhi’s appeal?

• Appealed to women – service to nation a part of their religion duty
• Non-violence & truth
• respectable image of women
• support from male guardians

Organizations 
Women’s Indian Asso (by AB + MC) ’17 Madras
AIWC – by MC for Education ‘27

Act of 1935 gave reserved seats in the legislature