Aruna Asaf Ali

2022-12-10T03:10:26Z

103.167.176.178:

{{Short description|Indian independence activist (1909–1996}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2018}}

{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = [[Bharat Ratna]]
| name = Aruna Asaf

| image = Aruna Asad Ali.jpg
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_name = Aruna Ganguly
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1909|7|16}}
| birth_place = [[Kalka]], [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]], [[British Raj|India]]
| death_date = 29 July 1996<br /> (aged 87)
| death_place = [[New Delhi]], India
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Asaf Ali]]|1928|2 April 1953|end=died}}
| alma_mater = [[Sacred Heart Convent School, Lahore|Sacred Heart Convent]]
| occupation = {{hlist|[[Political activist]]|educator|publisher}}
| party = [[Communist Party of India]]
| otherparty = [[Indian National Congress]]
| father = Upendranath Ganguli
| awards = {{nowrap|[[International Lenin Peace Prize]] (1964)<br />[[Jawaharlal Nehru Prize]] (1991)<br />[[Padma Vibhushan]] (1992)<br />[[Bharat Ratna]] (1997)}}
| religion =
| footnotes =
}}

'''Aruna Asaf Ali''' (''[[Birth name#Maiden and married names|née]]'' '''Ganguly'''; 16 July 1909 – 29 July 1996) was an Indian educator, political activist, and publisher. An active participant in the [[Indian independence movement]], she is widely remembered for hoisting the [[Flag of India#History|Indian National flag]] at the [[Gowalia Tank|Gowalia Tank maidan]], [[Bombay]] during the [[Quit India Movement]] in 1942. Post-independence, she remained active in politics, becoming [[Delhi]]'s first Mayor.<ref>{{cite news |title=Remembering the fearless freedom fighter |url=https://newsonair.com/2022/07/29/remembering-the-fearless-freedom-fighter-aruna-asaf-ali-on-her-death-anniversary/}}</ref>

==Early life==
Aruna Asaf Ali was born on 16 July 1909 in Kalka, [[Punjab (British India)|Punjab]], [[British India]] (now in [[Haryana]], India) into a [[Bengali people|Bengali]] [[Brahmin]] family.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Let's Remember The Forgotten Women Freedom Fighters - SheThePeople TV|url=https://www.shethepeople.tv/news/lets-remember-forgotten-women-freedom-fighters/|access-date=2022-01-11|language=en-US|archive-date=11 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220111092414/https://www.shethepeople.tv/news/lets-remember-forgotten-women-freedom-fighters/|url-status=live}}</ref> Her father Upendranath Ganguly hailed from [[Barisal district]] of Eastern [[Bengal]] (now [[Bangladesh]]) but settled in the United Province. He was a restaurant owner. Her mother Ambalika Devi was the daughter of Trailokyanath Sanyal, a renowned Brahmo leader who wrote many [[Brahmo Samaj|Brahmo hymns]]. Upendranath Ganguly's younger brother [[Dhirendranath Ganguly]] (DG) was one of the earliest film directors.<ref>{{Cite book | author = G. N. S. Raghavan | title = Aruna Asaf Ali: A Compassionate Radical | publisher = National Book Trust | year = 1999 | isbn = 9788123727622 }}</ref> Another brother, Nagendranath, was a university professor who married [[Nobel Prize in Literature|Nobel Prize winner]] [[Rabindranath Tagore]]'s only surviving daughter Mira Devi.<ref>{{Cite book | editor = Krishna Dutta and Andrew Robinson | title = Selected Letters of Rabindranath Tagore | publisher = Cambridge University Press | year = 1997 | isbn = 0521-59018-3 }}</ref> Aruna's sister [[Purnima Banerjee]] was a member of the [[Constituent Assembly of India]].

Aruna was educated at [[Convent Of Sacred Heart Lahore|Sacred Heart Convent in Lahore]] and then at [http://www.allsaintscollege.org/ All Saints' College] in [[Nainital]]. After her graduation, she worked as a teacher at the [[Gopal Krishna Gokhale|Gokhale]] Memorial School in [[Calcutta]]. She met [[Asaf Ali]], a leader in the Congress party, in [[Allahabad]]. They got married in 1928, despite parental opposition on grounds of religion and age (he was a [[Muslim]] and her senior by more than 20 years).<ref>{{Cite book | author = Radha Kumar | title = The History of Doing: An Illustrated Account of Movements for Women's Rights and Feminism in India, 1800–1990 |isbn=9788185107769| publisher = Zubaan | year = 1993 | author-link = Radha Kumar | page=68 }}</ref>
{{blockquote|text=My father was no more when Asaf and I married in September 1928. My paternal uncle Nagendranath Ganguly, a university professor who regarded himself as my guardian, said to relatives and friends that as far as he was concerned I was dead and he had performed my ''[[Śrāddha|shraddh]]''.<ref>{{Cite book | author = Aruna Asaf Ali | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=MVYqAAAAYAAJ | editor1-last = Grover | editor1-first = Verinder | editor2-last = Arora | editor2-first = Ranjana | title = Great Women of Modern India: Aruna Asaf Ali | publisher = Deep & Deep Publications | year = 1993 | isbn = 9788171004621 | access-date = 27 May 2021 | archive-date = 28 July 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210728102954/https://books.google.com/books?id=MVYqAAAAYAAJ | url-status = live }}</ref>}}

==Role of Aruna Asaf Ali in the Freedom Struggle==

===Early association with Indian independence movement===

Aruna Asaf Ali had a major role in Indian Independence Movement. She became a member of [[Indian National Congress]] after marrying Asaf Ali and participated in public processions during the [[Salt Satyagraha]]. She was arrested at the age of 21 on the charge that she was a [[Vagrancy (people)|vagrant]] and hence not released in 1931 under the [[Gandhi–Irwin Pact]] which stipulated release of all political prisoners. Other women co-prisoners refused to leave the premises unless she was also released and gave in only after [[Mahatma Gandhi]] intervened. A public agitation secured her release.

In 1932, she was held [[Political prisoner|prisoner]] at the [[Tihar Jail]] where she protested the indifferent treatment of political prisoners by launching a hunger strike. Her efforts resulted in an improvement of conditions in the Tihar Jaill but she was moved to [[Ambala]] and was subjected to solitary confinement. She was politically not very active after her release, but at the ending of 1942, she took part in the underground movement.

===Rise to prominence during the Quit India movement===

On 8 August 1942, the [[All India Congress Committee]] passed the [[Quit India Movement|Quit India resolution]] at the [[Bombay]] session. The government responded by arresting the major leaders and all members of the [[Congress Working Committee]] and thus tried to pre-empt the movement from success. Young Aruna Asaf Ali presided over the remainder of the session on 9 August and hoisted the Congress flag at the Gowalia Tank Maidan. This marked the commencement of the movement. The police fired upon the assembly at the session. Aruna was dubbed the ''Heroine of the 1942 movement'' for her bravery in the face of danger and was called ''Grand Old Lady of the Independence movement'' in her later years. Despite the absence of direct leadership, spontaneous protests and demonstrations were held all over the country, as an expression of the desire of India's youth to achieve independence.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}

An arrest warrant was issued in her name but she went underground to evade the arrest and started an underground movement in the year 1942. Her property was seized and sold. In the meanwhile, she also edited ''Inquilab'', a monthly magazine of the Congress Party, along with [[Ram Manohar Lohia]]. In a 1944 issue, she exhorted the youth to action by asking them to forget futile discussions about violence and [[non-violence]] and join the revolution. Leaders such as [[Jayaprakash Narayan]] and Aruna Asaf Ali were described as "the Political children of Gandhi but recent students of [[Karl Marx]]." The government announced a reward of 5,000 [[rupees]] for her capture.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}

She fell ill and was for a period hiding in Dr Joshi's Hospital in Karol Bagh in Delhi. Mahatma Gandhi sent her a hand-written note to her to come out of hiding and surrender herself – as her mission was accomplished and as she could utilize the reward amount for the [[Harijan]] cause. However, she came out of hiding only after the warrant against her was withdrawn in 1946. She treasured the note from the Mahatma and it adorned her drawing room. However, she also faced criticism from Gandhi for her support of the [[Royal Indian Navy mutiny]], a movement she saw as the single greatest unifying factor of Hindus and Muslims at a time that was the peak of the movement for Pakistan.<ref>{{cite web |title=Aruna Asaf Ali Biography |url=https://www.mapsofindia.com/who-is-who/history/aruna-asaf-ali.html}}</ref>

===Post-Independence, mayorship, and career in publishing===
She was a member of the [[Congress Socialist Party]], a [[caucus]] within the [[Indian National Congress|Congress Party]] for activists with [[socialist]] leanings. Disillusioned with the progress of the Congress Party on socialism she joined a new party, [[Socialist Party (India)|Socialist Party]] in 1948. She, however, left that party along with [[Edatata Narayanan]] and they visited [[Moscow]] along with [[Rajani Palme Dutt]]. Both of them joined the [[Communist Party of India]] in the early 1950s. On the personal front, she was bereaved when Asaf Ali died in 1953.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}

In 1954, she helped form the [[National Federation of Indian Women]], the women's wing of CPI but left the party in 1956 following [[Nikita Khrushchev]]'s disowning of Stalin. In 1958, she was elected the first [[Mayor]] of [[Delhi]]. She was closely associated with social activists and secularists of her era like Krishna Menon, Vimla Kapoor, [[Guru Radha Kishan]], Premsagar Gupta, Rajani Palme Joti, Sarla Sharma and Subhadra Joshi for social welfare and development in Delhi.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}

She and Narayanan started Link publishing house and published a daily newspaper, ''Patriot'' and a weekly, ''Link'' the same year. The publications became prestigious due to the patronage of leaders such as [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], [[Krishna Menon]] and [[Biju Patnaik]]. Later she moved out of the publishing house due to internal politics, stunned by greed taking over the creed of her comrades. Despite reservations about the [[The Emergency (India)|emergency]], she remained close to [[Indira Gandhi]] and [[Rajiv Gandhi]].

She died in [[New Delhi]] on 29 July 1996, aged 87.<ref>{{cite news |last=Singh |first=Kuldip |date=31 July 1996 |title=Obituary: Aruna Asaf Ali |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-aruna-asaf-ali-1331351.html |newspaper=The Independent |access-date=21 August 2015 |archive-date=25 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925133653/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-aruna-asaf-ali-1331351.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Legacy==

[[File:Aruna Asaf Ali 1998 stamp of India.jpg|thumb|Commemoration stamp, 1998]]
Aruna Asaf Ali was awarded [[International Lenin Peace Prize]] for the year 1964<ref>{{cite news |title=Lenin Peace Prize |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=E6IiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uqoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4778%2C3279897 |access-date=18 July 2018 |work=[[The Item]] |date=14 August 1965 |archive-date=5 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205130132/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=E6IiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uqoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4778,3279897 |url-status=live }}</ref> and the [[Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding]] in 1991.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iccrindia.net/jnawardlist.html|title=List of the recipients of the Jawaharlal Nehru Award|publisher=[[ICCR]] website|access-date=13 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100705193112/http://www.iccrindia.net/jnawardlist.html|archive-date=5 July 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> She was awarded India's second highest civilian honour, the [[Padma Vibhushan]] in her lifetime in 1992, and finally the highest civilian award, the [[Bharat Ratna]], [[Posthumous recognition|posthumously]] in 1997.<ref>{{cite web|title=Padma Awards Directory (1954–2007) |url=http://www.mha.nic.in/pdfs/PadmaAwards1954-2007.pdf |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs |access-date=7 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410024701/http://www.mha.nic.in/pdfs/PadmaAwards1954-2007.pdf |archive-date=10 April 2009 }}</ref> In 1998, a stamp commemorating her was issued. ''Aruna Asaf Ali Marg'' in [[New Delhi]] was named in her honour. [[All India Minorities Front]] distributes the ''Dr Aruna Asaf Ali Sadbhawana Award'' annually.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

Aruna Asaf Ali by Inder Malhotra in The Guardian]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20051221041704/http://evesindia.indiainfo.com/bold-beauty/skindeep/asaf_ali.html A write-up on Aruna Asaf Ali]
*[http://www.dimdima.com/knowledge/build.asp?tit=48&q_title=Aruna+Asaf+Ali Another write-up on Aruna Asaf Ali]

{{Bharat Ratna}}
{{Padma Vibhushan Awards}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Aruna Asaf}}
[[Category:1909 births]]
[[Category:1996 deaths]]
[[Category:Bengali politicians]]
[[Category:Indian independence activists from Delhi]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Bharat Ratna]]
[[Category:Lenin Peace Prize recipients]]
[[Category:Quit India Movement]]
[[Category:Brahmos]]
[[Category:People from Panchkula district]]
[[Category:Indian rebels]]
[[Category:Indian women in war]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in public affairs]]
[[Category:Mayors of Delhi]]
[[Category:Prisoners and detainees of British India]]
[[Category:Women mayors of places in Delhi]]
[[Category:Women in war 1900–1945]]
[[Category:Indian people of World War II]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian politicians]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians from Delhi]]
[[Category:Women Indian independence activists]]
[[Category:Communist Party of India politicians from Punjab, India]]
[[Category:Female politicians of the Communist Party of India]]

IndianPedia - User contributions [en]

Aruna Asaf Ali