Written by Samayeta Bal

As India celebrates its 79th Independence Day, the national mood is suffused with pride and remembrance. While the freedom struggle continues to be defined by towering figures and well-documented milestones, it is equally marked by quiet, determined resistance, often led by those whose names were pushed to the margins. Among these are the women revolutionaries of Bengal, who not only confronted the British Empire with remarkable courage but also defied the deeply entrenched patriarchy of their own society. Their legacy is not only inspirational; it is essential to our understanding of what true freedom demands.

These women waged a battle on two fronts: Against foreign colonial domination and social constraints that sought to limit their agency. In early 20th-century Bengal, women were expected to adhere to narrow societal roles — education for girls was discouraged, early marriage and widowhood were common, and purdah kept upper-caste women confined to the domestic sphere. In this atmosphere, even joining the nationalist cause came with suspicion. Revolutionary groups like Surya Sen’s initially doubted women’s capacity for leadership and sacrifice.

Despite such scepticism, they emerged as forces of resistance, often surpassing expectations. Their determination was not merely symbolic. Their methods ranged from the armed and overt to the intellectual and covert. Some led attacks, some smuggled weapons, and others educated the next generation of girls quietly in their courtyards. Every act was calibrated resistance.

Pritilata Waddedar, for instance, led a daring armed assault on the European Club at Chittagong in 1932 — a site infamous for its racial........

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