Birthday of Lakshmi Sahgal

Lakshmi Sahgal (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. Sahgal is commonly referred to in India as “Captain Lakshmi”, a reference to her rank when taken prisoner in Burma during the Second World War.

Sahgal was born as Lakshmi Swaminathan in Malabar under Madras Presidency on 24 October 1914 to S. Swaminathan, a lawyer who practised 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 in Palghat, Kerala.

Sahgal 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.She worked as a doctor in the Government Kasturba Gandhi Hospital located at Triplicane Chennai.

In 1940, she left for Singapore after the failure of her marriage with pilot P.K.N. Rao.During her stay at Singapore, she met some members of Subhas Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army.She established a clinic for the poor, most of whom were migrant labourers from India.[citation needed] It was at this time that she began to play an active role in the India Independence League.

In 1998, Sahgal was awarded the Padma Vibhushan by Indian president K. R. Narayanan.

(Ref:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakshmi_Sahgal &

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