As another Independence Day passed by with flag hoisting and playing of patriotic songs, it is also time to remember some of our female freedom fighters so that they do not slip from memory.

Rani Laxmibai is well known, with several books and movies made about how she declared, “Main apni Jhansi nahin doongi,” and fought the British on the battlefront. Kasturba Gandhi is famous too, as Mahatma Gandhi’s constant companion and helpmate, at a time when women did not involve themselves in politics and public campaigns. Sarojini Naidu, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, and Usha Mehta have been given their due to some extent. However, there are other brave women who defied social norms of the era and contributed to the struggle for independence.

Kittur Chennamma was one of the earliest freedom fighters in India. Her armed rebellion against the British East India Company predates the more widely known Revolt of 1857. Born in 1778 in the village of Kakati in present-day Karnataka, Chennamma was the queen of the princely state of Kittur. She was trained from a young age in horse riding, sword fighting, and archery, skills that would later prove crucial in her fight against colonial rule. She married Raja Mallasarja of the Desai family and became the queen of Kittur. She rebelled against the British over their policy of annexation. In a story similar to that of the Rani of Jhansi, the British did not recognise her adoption of a son to take over the kingdom after the death of her husband and son. She went to war against the British and, after some early........

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