Medchal/New Delhi: Bahujana Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is first to give 40 per cent reservation to women in the Legislature said BRS Chief MA Mujeeb on the eve of International Women’s Day on Wednesday.
The women broke the stereotype of Muslim women in the society, who are merely perceived to be clad in Burqha and were never let out of the house. They participated in the India’s struggle for independence and emerged victorious.
Addressed a gathering the an exclusive women gathering said that the BRS is taken a a policy decision to implement 40 per cent reservation in the Legislature for the empowerment of women and appreciated the sacrifices being made by the women from their birth to demise and make the world’s factual existence, Mujeeb said.
Women are an important part of society. Throughout history they have been suppressed, marginalized, and even abused. However, it is women who have ensured the stability, progress, and long-term development of the world. They make the world a better place to live to their power, determination, and belief whether as homemakers, engineers, teachers, etc, Mujeeb said.
“Rural women play a key role in supporting their households and communities in achieving food and nutrition security, generating income, and improving rural livelihoods and overall well-being.” Mujeeb an advocate at High Court recalled
There is need to recall the services and sacrifices made by the greatest and powerful women in Indian history.
Sarojini Naidu : She was born on February 13th, 1879 in Hyderabad, State of British India. She was an Indian political activist and poet. Her work as a poet earned her the sobriquet “the Nightingale of India”, or “Bharat Kokila” by Mahatma Gandhi. Mujeeb paid floral tribute to Sarojini Naidu
Aruna Asaf Ali : She was born on July 16, 1909, in Punjab, British India. She was an Indian educator, political activist, and publisher. She actively participated in the Indian independence movement. During the Quit Indian movement (1942), she is remembered for hoisting the Indian National flag at the Gowalia Tank Maidan, Bombay, Mujeeb recalled.
Savitribai Phule : She was born on January 3, 1931, in Naigaon village in Maharashtra. She is counted among the first feminists in India, a pioneering teacher, and an anti-caste discrimination activist. She was the first-ever female teacher in the country. She played a crucial role in women’s empowerment with the support of her teacher colleague and financiakl supporter Shaik Fathima Bibi, Mujeeb recalled.
Anandi Gopal Josh @ Yamuna i : She was born on March 31, 1865 in Kalyan, Bombay Presidency, British India. She is considered the first Indian female to study western medicine in the United States and was one of the earliest female physicians in the country. She inspired various women to pursue further education. Her original name was Yamuna. She was married at the age of nine to Goplarao Joshi. After returning from the U.S. to India, the princely state of Kolhapur appointed her as the physician-in-charge of the female ward of the local Albert Edward Hospital, Mujeeb said.
Sucheta Kripalani : She was born on June 25, 1908, in Ambala, Punjab, British India. She was an Indian freedom fighter and politician. She was also the first woman Chief Minister of India and served as the head of the Uttar Pradesh government from 1963 to 1967, Mujeeb who is also the President of All India Muslim Federation (AIMF) recalled.
Lakshmi Sahgal : She was born as Lakshmi Swaminathan on October 24, 1914, in Anakkara, Madras Presidency, British India. She was a revolutionary in the Indian independence movement, an officer in the Indian National Army (INA), and also the Minister of Women’s Affairs in the Azad Hind government. She is commonly referred to in India as Captain Lakshmi a close associate of Deputy Commander of INA Colonel Abdur Rehman . It was a reference to her rank when taken prisoner in Burma during the Second World War, Mujeeb recalled..
Indira Gandhi : She was born as Indira Priyadarshini Nehru on November 19, 1917, in Allahabad, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, British India. She was an Indian politician and the first female Prime Minister of India who served for three consecutive terms (1966–77) and a fourth term from 1980 until she was assassinated in 1984. In an online poll organized by the BBC in 1999, Indira Gandhi was named “Woman of the Millennium”. She was also named by Time magazine among the world’s 100 most powerful women who defined the last century in 2020, Mujeeb recalled..
Anna Chandy : Justice Anna Chandy, or Anna Chandi, was born on April 5, 1905, in Trivandrum, Travancore. She was the first female judge (1937) and then, in 1959, the first High Court judge in India. It is said that she was also one of the first female judges in the British Empire to Emily Murphy,Mujeeb recalled..
Kalpana Chawla : She was born on March 17, 1962, in Karnal, East Punjab, India. She was an Indian-born American astronaut and engineer. She was the first woman of Indian origin to go to space. In 1997, she first flew on the Space Shuttle Columbia as a mission specialist and also the primary robotic arm operator. She died six years later, on February 1, 2003, when the space shuttle Columbia broke up on re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. All seven astronauts were killed on board. The legacy of Chawla has lived on. Her talent and her work inspired young people in India and across the world to consider careers in spaceflight, Mujeeb said.
India has a rich history of great women who have made significant contributions to various fields and have left a lasting impact on the country and the world. The above mentioned are only a fraction of the many outstanding women in India. These women, along with many others, have made indelible contributions to India’s history and continue to inspire generations of people with their courage, intelligence, and perseverance, Mujeeb a student of Modern Indian History said.
The purpose of International Women’s Day is not superficial, it is a day to celebrate the women in our lives and to celebrate and respect their sacrifices, courage, determination, ambition and love. Let’s celebrate this day everyday by treating women with respect, Mujeeb said.
Begum Hazrat Mahal (1830–1879) : Begum Hazrat Mahal, a prominent woman of 1857 rebellion, was born in 1830 Faizabad of Uttar Pradesh. Her actual name was Muhammadi Khanum. Her father is Gulam Hussain of Faizabad. At her tender age itself, she showed good talent in literature.
Abadi Bano Begum (1852-1924) : Abadi Bano Begum, who took active part at par with men in the Indian National Movement, was born in 1852 in Amroha village, Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh. She was married to Abdul Ali Khan of the Princely State Rampur.
Though she lost her husband at a young age, she did not remarry. She had two sons Moulana Mohammed Ali, Moulan Showkath Ali, who were famous as ‘Ali Brothers’. She nurtured her children, into becoming memorable leaders of the Indian Independence Movement. Her involvement in the freedom movement began with the Home Rule Movement, to which she rendered moral and most importantly, financial support.
When the British government detained the Ali Brothers in Chindanwad village, under the Indian Defence Regulations, she went along with them. When a police official proposed for the surrender of her sons, she bluntly refused saying, ‘If my sons agree to the proposal of the government, I will kill them by strangulation. I hope God will bestow enough energy into this old woman’s hands’. Abadi Bano met Mahatma Gandhi in 1917 for the first time.
There after Mahatma Gandhi always addressed her ‘Ammijan’, and all other freedom fighters followed Gandhi’s address. She helped Mahatma Gandhi and other Khilafath leaders financially for undertaking all India tours.
She attended the Indian National Congress and the All India Muslim League sessions in 1917, held at Calcutta. She spoke in those meetings emphasising that complete freedom could be achieved through unity between Hindus and Muslims.
She also played a constructive role in the Khilafat and Non Cooperation Movement in 1919. She declared in several meetings that ‘it was her ambition that even the dogs and cats of her country should not be under the slavery of the British’.
The fact that the British government official records treated her as a ‘dangerous person’, which established the kind of challenge she hurled at the colonial rule.
Apart from participating in politics she also guided several women’s organisations all over India. So intensely patriotic and nationalist that Abadi Bano Begum who played an active role in national movement without caring old age, ill health and cruel atrocities of police, breathed her last on 13 November, 1924.
BIBI AMATUS SALAM (1907-1985) : Bibi Amatus Salam, who strongly believed that freedom from the slavery of British could be achieved, through the Gandhian methods only, was born in 1907 in Patiala of Punjab in Rajputhana family.
Her father was Colonel Abdul Hamid and her mother Amatur Rehaman. Amatus Salam was the younger sister of six elder brothers. Her health was very delicate since her childhood. She was inspired by her eldest brother, freedom fighter Mohammad Abdur Rashid Khan. Following the footsteps of her brother, she decided to serve the people of the country.
Amatus Salam participated in the Khadi Movement and attended the meetings of the Indian National Movement along with her brother. She was attracted towards the Non Violence theory of Mahathma Gandhi and Sevagram Ashram.
She decided to join Sevagram Ashram, and went there in 1931. She joined Ashram and followed the strict principles of the Ashram. With her selfless service she became very close to Gandhi couple.
They considered Amatus Salam as their beloved daughter. During the Indian National Movement, she went to jail along with other women in 1932 despite her illness with the permission of Gandhi.
After being released from Jail, she reached Sevagram and took over the respon-sibilities as Personal Assistant of Gandhi. She said that besides achieving independence, harmony between the Hindus and Muslims, Welfare of the Harijans and Women were her life ambitions. When communal riots erupted, she toured North-West Frontier, Sindh and Noukhali areas as an ambassador of Gandhi.
She held Satyagraha for 20 days to normalize the situation in those areas. After Independence, she rededicated herself to the Public Service. She published an Urdu Magazine called ‘Hindustan’ to promote national integration and communal harmony. When Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan toured in India in 1961, she travelled with him as his personal assistant. When India was at war with
China in 1962 and with Pakistan in 1965, she took all the pains in reaching the mountains or war area along with her adopted son Sunil Kumar to encourage our soldiers and to serve them. Bibi Amatus Salam, who spent all her life following the Gandhian ideology, breathed her last on 29 October, 1985.
HAJARA BEGUM (1910-2003) : Hajara Begum, who fought against the British to liberate the Nation and worked for the welfare of the toiling masses of the country, was born on 22 December, 1910 at Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh. She came to know about the sacrifices of the freedom fighters who were fighting against the British from her father, who was a police officer.
She became very popular as ‘Hajara Aapa’ in the circles of toiling people and women. The Soviet Union honoured her with ‘Supreme Soviet Jubilee Award’ in 1960 in recognition of her work for the downtrodden people on the eve of the birth centenary of Lenin. Hajara Begum, who spent her entire life in the service of the country, breathed her last on 20 January, 2003.
Chakali Ilamma : (c. 1895 – 10 September 1985), better known as Chakali Ilamma, was an Indian revolutionary leader during the Telangana Rebellion. Her act of defiance against Zamindar Ramachandra Reddy, known as Visnoor Deshmukh, to cultivate her land, became an inspiration for many during the rebellion against the feudal lords of the Telangana region. Ilamma died on 10 September 1985 at Palakurthi due to illness, Mujeeb recalled.
Happy International Women’s Day to all!
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