The Multiple Faces of Captain Lakshmi

A skilled doctor, an ardent freedom fighter, and a voice for the oppressed, Lakshmi Sahgal was a woman who was determined to make a change right from the get go.

Lakshmi Sahgal. Illustrated by Miloni Munipally: Visual Storyteller at ThisDay

A young baby girl was born right during the onset of WW1 in Malabar District, Madras. She was brought up in a family of lawyers and activists, and soon developed a keen interest in fighting against the injustices prevailing in society. Young Lakshmi was beyond her years, for she saw right through the embedded flaws of the patriarchal system such as its promotion of marriages of girls just about her age. Wanting to break through society’s dysfunctional stance on women, Lakshmi received a full education from Queen Mary's College, going even further to complete her MBBS degree from Madras Medical College in 1938. Although at that time, for a woman to just educate herself was a great deal, Lakshmi was far from reaching her end goal, for this was just a tiny step into her future of uncontested milestones.

Lakshmi worked dedicatedly at Kasturba Gandhi Hospital as a doctor. During the preceding years, she had seen her family get pulled in the direction of the freedom movement, with her mother transitioning from a Madras Socialite to a vehement Congress supporter. Yet Lakshmi’s eyes were attracted towards a situation direr- the oppression and discrimination of the marginalized communities. Even as a child, she found herself fighting with her grandmother due to their opposing opinions on the status of such communities.

With the backdrop of her family getting into politics, and her getting introduced to the Left by Suhasini Nambiar, Sarojini Naidu’s sister, Lakshmi began her journey as a communist.

Yet, she never discarded her medical responsibilities, as just at the young age of 26, Lakshmi left for Singapore as a doctor. During her time there, fate brought her in contact with the revolutionary Subhas Chandra Bose, an event that became a turning point in her life. Initially, she provided medical care to the soldiers who got gravely injured in their battles against the Japanese. However, her ears got arrested with the news of Bose looking to organize a women’s regiment for the Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army), which led her to become the leader of setting up the same.

This regiment emerged as the “ Rani of Jhansi regiment” with Lakshmi embodying its namesake’s role, soon being called “Captain Lakshmi.”

The INA at that time was working with the Japanese army, marching to Burma, which later caused her to get arrested by the British in 1945, who was in a war with the latter. She was sent into house arrest in the jungles of Burma and sent back to India in 1946. Yet this was a grave error made by the British, for they sent her right into the mouth of a thirsty dragon, roaring till it was quenched by its independence. When India’s battle for independence was finally won by Bose’s contemporaries and revolutionaries like her, she went on to use her medical expertise to aid the wounded.

A few months before India’s partition, she married Col. Prem Kumar Sahgal, a leading figure of the INA, who, with her, tended to the refugees displaced by the horrific partition. For a time period, Sahgal led her life with her husband giving birth to a baby girl, who had her mother’s blood running thick in her and in the future became a member of CPI(M), with the former who had herself joined the party in 1971. During Bangladesh’s crisis in 1971, Sahgal packed her bags to move to Calcutta and organized camps for the refugees who needed desperate assistance, an event preceding her membership into the CPI(M).

According to Captain Lakshmi herself, joining the CPI(M) felt “like coming home”, as she had forever believed in communist ideals and belonged with people who had a similar mindset.

For the first time being involved directly with politics, Lakshmi never strayed away from her childhood beliefs and created the All India Democratic Women's Association in 1981 with a few other members. Lakshmi intricately looked into the injustices and troubles faced by women and marginalized communities alike.

Lakshmi’s life never ceased to lose its momentum right from the day she was born, and she soon became one of the candidates for President in 2002! Although well aware of her foresighted defeat against A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, she continued to raise her voice against the prevailing inconsistencies in our political system and used her platform to full justice.

Lakshmi’s soul departed on this day in 2012 at the age of 97, leading a life full of passion and an even greater legacy left behind.