Home > Indian History > History of India > Women In the Civil Disobedience Movement
Women In the Civil Disobedience Movement
Indian women demonstrated their bold brilliance in the Civil Disobedience Campaign in British India.

Share this Article:

sarojani naiduThe suspension of the Non-Cooperation movement, in 1922, found its much strong sequel in the Civil Disobedience Movement, started in 1928. Women`s historical involvement in the Civil Disobedience Movement , ushered in a chapter in the history of Indian Women, and the World History of Women, at large.

Picketing and open-air protests conducted by women, marked the uproar against the British in Bombay. Indeed from, 1930 to 1932 the role of women in nationalism, hit the headlines of newspapers.

While, the Parsee and Christian, residents of Bombay, advocated for female education, the large Gujarati section of Bombay were influenced by their fellow Gujrati Mahatma( great soul), Gandhi. Rashtriya Stree Sangha , working under the female stalwarts, Sarojini Naidu , Goshiben Naoroji Captain and Avantikabai Gokhale, set as its aim, "Swaraj" and women`s freedom. The RSS expanded its wings to an association of females serving the nation, called the Desh Sevika Sangha . This association was ready to devote themselves in the name of the nation.

It was decided that on April 6, the anniversary of the Amritsar massacre in 1919, the salt laws would be officially violated, to reveal the pent-up vexation against the British colonizers. It was fantastic on the part of the two women, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay and Avantikabai Gokhale, to concertedly function as dissenters with the hoard of seven men, taking the initiative . Kamaladevi relived the phenomenal act down her memory lane :
"This was their [women`s] first appearance in any modern militant political campaign and I could hardly suppress my excitement at the enormity of the occasion and my own good fortune to be amongst the first... It seemed such a stupendous moment in my life, in the life of the women of my country."

The boycott of foreign goods and purchase of indigenous products, continued simultaneously along with presence of women supporters, near the sea-beaches to boost up the act of disobedience.

Sarojini Naidu, with the courage of a fighter stormed the Darshana Salt Works. Her actions, considered illegal by the British masters, got her arrested on May 15, 1930. She remained indomitable, and on May 21, Sarojini plunged into a second raid. But this time, she got imprisoned for a year.

The Desh Sevikas propagated the message "swadeshi" celebration and independence. Gandhi`s birthday and the release of three eminent women, namely, Lilavati Munshi, Perin Captain, and Mrs. Lukanji, from jail, turned out to be an occasion for revelry.

In Bengal, the nationalistic enthusiasm among women was in no way less than the Bombay females. Making and selling of salt, refusal of foreign cloth and acceptance of Khaddar, as a treasure were the norms of the times.

Moreover , Bengal being the nerve-center of female education in India, increased the women`s inclination to nationalism.

The Oxford scholar, Latika Ghosh`s , Mahila Rashtriya Sangha (MRS), flowered in 1928, to fulfill the born leader, Subash Chandra Bose`s desire for swaraj through the active involvement of women. Theirs was the belief, that the female`s access to education, will uplift their position, and hence make them capable to oust the British from India.

Latika entailed 300 women students from Bethune College and Victoria Institution, and teachers of the Calcutta Corporation academic centers in her mission, by 1928 . Nari Satyagraha Samiti (NSS) in 1929 came into being . Urmila Devi, the widowed sister of C.R.Das and a pioneer of women`s politics, became its president. Jyotimoyee Ganguli held the rank of the vice-president. Santi Das and Bimal Protibha Devi were the joint secretaries. These elite Bengali women, joined processions, wearing their uniform of khaddar saris .

Kamala Das Gupta (b. 1907) , a Gandhian revolutionary mind, enlisted herself with the radical Jugantar Party.

Another, instance of female rebel was Bina Das, who had the bravery to shoot Governor Jackson.

Bina, her elder sister Kalyani, Surama Mitra, and Kamala Das Gupta together sculpted the Chattri Sangha (Association for Female Students) . This included activities like education-programs, sports, and building up a youth hostel.

Gandhi`s Civil Disobedience, in 1930, found wonderful response from thse women, who rallied before the Bethune College, Calcutta. The British police thwarted them with arrests and even attempts of stranding them in unknown, remote places,. Nevertheless, the aid of their fellow associates ensured their security.

Santi and Suniti, two schoolgirls from Comilla, fired Magistrate Stevens to death on December 14, 1931. They were elated at the thought of becoming the first women martyrs and when they heard the news of their sentence of prison than death, they were dejected. It seemed that nationalism, was burning in the blood of Indian women.

The degree of political turmoil generated by women in Bombay or Bengal, happened to be mellowed down in Madras. The hankering for the "Swadeshi" cult, got its manifestation in the spinning and selling of khaddar. Durgabai gifted the dynamics of the movement in Maharashtra.

Women`s nationalism was on the rising in North India. Open-air agitation, without the curtain of "Purdah", attached to aristrocrat ladies in Allahabad, Lucknow, Delhi, and Lahore took the ladies by astonishment.

Women from the Nehru families, presided the scenario. Swarup Rani Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru`s mother, burdened with age and senile decay, could gather energy to vote for khaddar in the streets . Kamala, Jawaharlal`s wife, was not lacking behind . She joined campaigns in Allahabad, delivered speeches in Lucknow, and went to Bombay, inspite of health problems.

Lado Rani Zutshi, the wife of Motilal Nehru`s nephew, and three of her daughters, Manmohini, Shyama, and Janak, were the masterminds behind the uprising in Lahore. Manmohini (b. 1909) had come into the limelight in 1929, as the first woman president of the Lahore Student Union and entered as a core delegate of the Lahore Congress. Loud gestures and words of annoyance, came outrightedly from Manmohini, and her team, post the death-sentence of Bhagat Singh. The sites of turbulence were the three major colleges in Lahore: Government College, Law College, and Forman Christian College. Manmohini was jailed for six months, for her disobedience.

In Delhi, Satyavati Devi, the granddaughter of Swami Shraddhanand, directed the women-battalion. Her nationalistic fervour led to her arrest, . Unfortunately, in prison, she got contaminated with tuberculosis. Yet she maintained her anti-British struggle throughout the 1930`s.

Meanwhile, feminst spokespersons like Kamala Nehru and Vijayalakshmi Pandit voiced their concern regarding the neglected issues of women`s rights, and the crucial question of gender-equality. The police-oppression assaulting and tormenting the women nationalists during the Civil Disobedience movement, was indeed , quite alarming.

In January of 1931, the police beat "women of Borsad" senseless, during protests. Kasturbai Gandhi, a witness to such a loathsome sight of police-coercion, described the inhuman and depraved way of dragging women, while beating them relentlessly. In Benares, a cadre of women, engaged in picketing a cloth shop, alleged that they were indecently undressed and flogged.

An angry crowd resented the capture of women demonstrators, and marooning them in the outskirts. Lady Jagmohandas disqualified this offence as severe as rape: "No system of Government that insulted the womanhood of the country had ever succeeded and no people however meek and down-trodden would tolerate it for a long time."

In 1932 when the Indian League of London, investigated the complain lodged by the Indian National Congress about the miscreants of the British, in their treatment of female victims, the truth unfolded was grotesque. That women had been sexually threatened, sexually harassed , beaten, and raped , was discovered to be a veritable truth. By 1934 the civil disobedience movement ceased way.

It was simply undeniable, that unflinching dedication of women in the Civil Disobedience Movement, has remained eternally praised in the pages of history. Who can parallel these self-sacrificing women, who tolerated all pains and plight, for the nation they loved, and wanted to become independent?


Share this Article:

Subscribe to Newsletter
Learn unknown facts about India from a curated list of informative articles.

Related Articles

More Articles in History of India

History of Indian Drama
History of Indian Drama is rich with Vedas and Indian epics and has gradually changed with time and remains unaffected by any foreign influence.
History of Khajuraho Temple
Located in the Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh, Khajuraho is country’s most magnificent groups of temples.
History of Ayurveda
History of Ayurveda dates back to 5,000 years old and is widely considered to be the oldest form of health care in the world.
History of Uttar Pradesh
The state was the heart of Mahabharata war and the history of Uttar Pradesh is very much the history of India. The place finds its mentions in Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.
History of Indian Photography
An overview of the development of photography, through the various stages in India.
History of Delhi
History of Delhi began with the advent of Indian regal dynasties. Delhi witnessed the rise and fall of Hindu dynasties, Muslims and the British as well.
History of Indian Radio
History of Indian Radio dates back to late 1930s with the first establishment of All India Radio in 1936 that improved further after independence.
History of Punjab
History of Punjab dates back to the 16th century; however its formation is traced in the great epic Mahabharata.
History Of Archaeology In India
History of archaeology in India contributes a lot to define the past history and the social life of India.
History of Maharashtra
Maharashtra, the land of charismatic Marathas, unfolds the legend of diverse culture and tradition, keeping in pace with the modernity. The gallant history of Maharashtra is still echoed amidst its historical relics and archeological wonders.
History of Kerala
History of Kerala can be interpreted from the inscriptions of Ashoka, Mauryan Emperor. History of Kerala is as interesting as its wide-ranging geographical features that make the land a place of versatile appeal.
History of Bihar
History of Bihar goes back to the very dawn of the human civilizations. Many eminent personalities and leaders from Bihar contributed for India’s freedom struggle.
History of Assam
In the ancient Indian epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata, Assam was known as `Kamarupa` or `Pragjyotish`. In the Mahabharata, the Puranas, the Tantras there are references of Assam as Kamrupa kingdom.
History of Andaman and Nicobar Islands
History of Andaman and Nicobar Islands dates back to the settlement of the East India Company in the territory of the Islands.
History of West Bengal
History of West Bengal is rooted in richness and is an important episode in the history of India. The history of Bengal played an important role in shaping the history of India.
History of Jharkhand
One of the fairly newer states, Jharkhand was carved out of the southern portion of Bihar in 2000. The history of Jharkhand is seeped with a variety of cultural significances starting from the Vedic era to Mughal period and finally the British administration.
History of Sikkim
History of Sikkim declares the pre historic culture and the colonial era hilly politics and the rules of Sikkim.
History of Nagaland
The history of Nagaland mainly revolves around and deals with the customs and economic activities of the Naga Tribes and how the state has evolved since the Indian Independence.
History of Mizoram
History of Mizoram includes the various historical events and incidents which occurred during the various ages, right from before the age of the Mughals.
History of Jammu & Kashmir
History of Jammu and Kashmir involves a series of political and geographical transformations from every ancient era to the modern times also. Even now, Jammu and Kashmir has its political tension between Pakistan and India.
History of Puducherry
Puducherry was invaded by different invaders in different times. The invaders include Pallava Kingdom of Kanchipuram, dynasties of the South, Cholas of Thanjavur, Pandyas and Muslim invaders.
History of Chandigarh
In 1947, the British India was partitioned into India and Pakistan. Punjab was also included in this partition. So, there was a need for a new capital for Punjab, as the old capital Lahore became part of Pakistan during the partition. So, in 1948, under the leadership of chief architect Mr. P.L. Verma the construction of Chandigarh city began.
History of Daman and Diu
During the early stage, i.e. from 8th to 13th century, Daman and Diu was part of Goa.
History of Lakshadweep
History of Lakshadweep defines the first settlement on these islands under the Union Territory of India that was ruled by Cheraman Perumal, who was the last king of Kerala.
History of Karnataka
History of Karnataka comprised of the different rulers of different dynasties of various religions like Hindus, Buddhists, and later the Muslims.
History of Goa
History of Goa dates back to the 3rd century BC and reflects the rule of the mighty rulers and gained its independence under Jawaharlal Nehru.
History of Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh possesses a rich historical heritage of culture of the ancient tribes. Being a bordering state of India, Arunachal Pradesh also has a history of military unrest since ancient Indian age.
History of Andhra Pradesh
History of Andhra Pradesh traces its origin back to the 5th century BC. According to the inscriptions, Kuberaka, the oldest Kingdom in South India had an empire in the coastal Andhra during that period.
History of Himachal Pradesh
History of Himachal Pradesh narrates about the various settlements and dynasties that emerged in the region over time.
History of Uttarakhand
History of Uttarakhand finds mention in the early Hindu scriptures as Kedarkhand, Manaskhand and Himavat. Uttarakhand is called as the Land of the Gods (Dev Bhoomi) because of its various holy places and shrines.
History of Rajasthan
The history of Rajasthan is dotted with tales of valor, chivalry, camaraderie and romance.
History of Tamil Nadu
History of Tamil Nadu reveals that this ancient place in South India was ruled by various kingdoms like the Pandyas Dynasty, Cholas Dynasty, Nayakas Dynasty and Pallavas Dynasty.
History of Haryana
History of Haryana depicts various events and influences that have cast a profound effect on the culture and people of the district. The place gained statehood on 1st of November 1966
History of Odisha
History of Odisha goes back a rather long way. Most of the history of the state is replete with the dynastic as well as tribal struggle for territorial superiority. Odisha is a place where one can find the religion, culture and history flow in away that lead to cultural amalgamation of early India.
History of Manipur
History of Manipur can be traced back to the prehistoric ages and this was followed by a number of rulers who reigned the land from age to age till it came under British rule and later joined the union of India.
History of Gujarat
History of Gujarat can be dated back to the 14th century that later witnessed the supremacy of many powerful dynasties.
History of Tripura
History of Tripura is dealing with the early mythological history and the history of British rule in North eastern part of India.
History of Meghalaya
The history of Meghalaya predominantly comprises of the three tribes of the state- Garo, Khasi and Jaintia tribes. Later on Meghalaya was formed by carving out two districts from the state of Assam.
History of Chhattisgarh
History of Chhattisgarh dates back to the era of epics and traces through the reign of powerful dynasties in India like Marathas. The area developed a rich cultural heritage during British era.