Inspiration

Gargi Vachaknavi

Gargi Vacaknavi (HK)), was an ancient Indian sage and philosopher. In Vedic literature, she is honoured as a great natural philosopher,[1][2] renowned expounder of the Vedas,[3] and known as Brahmavadini, a person with knowledge of Brahma Vidya.[4] In the Sixth and the eighth Brahmana of Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, her name is prominent as she participates in the brahmayajna, a philosophic debate organized by King Janaka of Videha and she challenges the sage Yajnavalkya with perplexing questions on the issue of atman (soul).[1][5] She is also said to have written many hymns in the Rigveda.[6] She remained a celibate all her life and was held in veneration by the conventional Hindus.[7][8]

Gargi, the daughter of sage Vachaknu in the lineage of sage Garga (c. 800-500 BCE) was named after her father Gargi Vachaknavi. From a young age, she evinced a keen interest in Vedic scriptures and became very proficient in fields of philosophy. She became highly knowledgeable in the Vedas and Upanishads in the Vedic times and held intellectual debates with other philosophers.

Lilavati Munshi

Lilavati Munshi was born on 21 May 1899 in a Gujarati Jain family, in Bombay. She was the wife of Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi, India’s independence activist, politician, lawyer, and much celebrated Gujarati author. Being a life partner of a literary laureate, Lilavati too developed a knack in rhetorically addressing the gathering. In the mid-1930s, patriots who favoured full independence could agree on one thing, that they would not tolerate British domination anymore. One amongst them was Lilvavati Mushi who presided over a meeting on 1 March 1932, This public meeting of Congress Jubilee Celebration was held at Dadar on 31 December 1935. Her impactful speech influenced the audience to practice hundred percent swadeshi and to work alongside men to promote the country’s cause. In a gripping narrative, the newspaper columns reported how a group of intelligent, committed women such as Lilavati supported the civil disobedience movement and registered careful political participation in this meeting.

Panna Dhai

Panna Dai was the nurse of Rani Karnavati, who was the wife of Rana Sanga. In 1531, Vikramaditya, the second son of Rana Sanga, succeeded the throne after his brother Rana Ratan Singh II. He was known for being insolent and arrogant. In 1535, Chittor was attacked by Bahadur Shah, causing Karnavati to call nobles and ordinary soldiers to defend Chittor. Those who were forced to leave Mewar or were disgruntled, joined.[4] Unfortunately, the battle was lost, leaving Chittor sacked. However, Rajputs occupied the fort as soon as Bahadur Shah left. With the fort back in Rajput control, Vikramaditya came back from Bundi to rule again.[5]

After the defeat, Vikramaditya's temperament didn't improve, causing him to physically abuse a respected chieftain at the court. In this situation, Banvir (Rana Sanga's nephew), who was the son of a non Rajput concubine of Prithviraj, joined the court. Banvir was ambitious and in 1536, he assassinated Vikramaditya.[

Rani Ahilyabai Holkar

Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar (31 May 1725 – 13 August 1795) was the Holkar Queen of the Maratha Malwa kingdom, India. Rajmata Ahilyabai was born in the village of Chondi in Jamkhed, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. She moved the capital to Maheshwar south of Indore on the Narmada River. Ahilyabai's husband Khanderao Holkar was killed in the battle of Kumbher in 1754. Twelve years later, her father-in-law, Malhar Rao Holkar, died. A year after that she was crowned as the queen of the Malwa kingdom. She tried to protect her kingdom from plundering invaders. She personally led armies into battle. She appointed Tukojirao Holkar as the Chief of Army.

Rani Ahilyabai was a great pioneer and builder of Hindu temples. She built hundreds of temples and Dharmashalas throughout India. Ahilyabai was born on 31 May 1725 in the village of Chaundi, in the present-day Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra. Her father, Mankoji Rao Shinde, was the Patil of the village. Women then did not go to school, but Ahilyabai's father taught her to read and write.

Jhansi ki Rani – Rani Lakshmi Bai

Rani Lakshmi Bai was the queen of the princely state of Jhansi, which is located on the northern side of India. She was one of the most leading personalities of the first war of India’s independence that started in 1857. In this article, we will present you with the biography of Jhansi ki Rani – Rani Lakshmi Bai, who was an epitome of bravery and courage.

On 7th March 1854, the British issued a gazette dissolving the State of Jhansi. Rani Lakshmibai was enraged due to the injustice when an English officer, Major Ellis came to meet Jhansi ki Rani – Rani Lakshmi Bai. He read out the official declaration dissolving the State. The furious Rani Lakshmibai told Ellis ‘‘Meri Jhansi Nahin Doongi (I shall not part with my Jhansi)’ when he sought her permission to leave. Ellis heard her and left. Battle of 1857 The battle for freedom that started from January 1857 engulfed even Meerut on 10th May.

Similar to Sushma Swaraj, Neeru might find motivation in the belief that personal sacrifices can fuel the pursuit of positive transformations. Sushma Swaraj’s resilience and commitment to public welfare, including her accessibility and responsiveness to people’s concerns, might have inspired Neeru Yadav to become a grassroots leader and work towards empowering her community.

Yamunabai

Yamunabai was born in Nunekalame village near Mahabaleshwar, in Satara district of Maharashtra in a family belonging to the Kolhati community.Her father was reported to be a drunkard and her mother busked and Yamnunabai, being the eldest of the five children, performed street dances with her mother.At the age of 10, she joined a folk art group from where she had her first lessons of Lavani. Later, when her father joined them, the family formed a Tamasha troupe with her father playing the Dholki while Bai and her cousin danced.

Looking for better earnings, the family moved to Mumbai and Yamunabai started performing Lavani and film songs on the streets of Mumbai. Encouraged by the success of her street shows, she did a stage show, which launched her stage career lasting till 1975, when the popularity of cinema and diminishing audience affected the returns.[

Durgavati Devi

popularly known as Durga Bhabhi, was an Indian revolutionary and freedom fighter. She was one of the few women revolutionaries who actively participated in armed revolution against the ruling British Raj. She is best known for having accompanied Bhagat Singh on the train journey in which he made his escape in disguise after the killing of John P. Saunders.[1] Since she was the wife of another Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) member Bhagwati Charan Vohra, other members of HSRA referred to her as Bhabhi (elder brother's wife) and became popular as "Durga Bhabhi" in Indian revolutionary circles.

he was an active member of the Naujawan Bharat Sabha, Devi came into prominence when the Sabha decided to observe the 11th anniversary of Kartar Singh Sarabha’s martyrdom on 16 November 1926 in Lahore. Devi was instrumental in helping Bhagat Singh and Shivaram Rajguru escape after the killing of John P. Saunders, a British police officer in Lahore who, on the instructions of James Scott, killed Lala Lajpat Rai during a lathi charge. She led the funeral procession of Jatin Das from Lahore to Calcutta after his death in a 63-day jail hunger strike. All along the way, huge crowds joined the funeral procession.[1]