MarcyThompson89 at 09:21, 8 February 2026

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{{Short description|Indian doctor, politician and officer of the Indian National Army (1914 - 2012)}}
{{Use Indian English|date=September 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Captain Lakshmi Sahgal
| image = Lakshmi Sahgal.jpg
| caption = Sahgal at the 18th congress of [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]] in Delhi, 2005
| birth_name = Lakshmi Swaminathan
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1914|10|24}}
| birth_place = [[Anakkara (Palakkad)|Anakkara]], [[Ponnani taluk]], [[Malabar District]], [[British Raj|British India]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2012|07|23|1914|10|24}}
| death_place = [[Kanpur]], [[Uttar Pradesh]], India
| other_names =
| spouse = {{Unbulleted_list|{{Marriage|P. K. N. Rao||1940}}|{{Marriage|[[Prem Sehgal|Prem Kumar Sahgal]]|1947|1992|end=died}}}}
| children = 2 (incl. [[Subhashini Ali]])
| alma_mater = {{Unbulleted_list|[[Queen Mary's College, Chennai]]|[[Madras Medical College]]}}
| known_for = {{Bulleted_list|[[Revolutionist]]|[[Freedom fighter|Independence activist]]|[[Marxist]]}}
}}

'''Lakshmi Sahgal''' ({{audio|Laxmi Sahgal.ogg|pronunciation}}) (born '''Lakshmi Swaminathan'''; 24 October 1914 – 23 July 2012) was an Indian politician and activist. She was a revolutionary of the [[Indian independence movement]], an officer of the [[Indian National Army]], and the Minister of Women's Affairs in the [[Azad Hind Government|Azad Hind government]]. Lakshmi is commonly referred to in India as '''Captain Lakshmi''', a reference to her rank when taken prisoner in Burma during the Second World War.

==Early life==
Lakshmi Sahgal was born as Lakshmi Swaminathan in 1914 to S. Swaminathan, a lawyer who practiced criminal law at [[Madras High Court]], and A.V. Ammukutty, better known as [[Ammu Swaminathan]], a social worker and independence activist from an aristocratic [[Nair]] family known as "Vadakkath" family of [[Anakkara (Palakkad)|Anakkara]], [[Ponnani taluk]], [[Malabar District]], [[British Raj|British India]].<ref name=Hindu_fulfilling>{{cite news|last=Kolappan|first=B.|title=A fulfilling journey that began in Madras|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/article3675707.ece|access-date=24 July 2012|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=24 July 2012|location=Chennai, India}}</ref> She was the elder sister of [[Mrinalini Sarabhai]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/mrinalini-sarabhai-ammu-swaminathan-lakshmi-sehgal-5172352/ |title=The legacy of Mrinalini Sarabhai's family |date=11 May 2018 |work=[[The Indian Express]] |access-date=22 October 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Menon |first1=Parvathi |title=Captain Lakshmi Sahgal (1914 - 2012) - A life of struggle |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/captain-lakshmi-sahgal-1914-2012-a-life-of-struggle/article3672666.ece |website=The Hindu |access-date=23 October 2019 |date=23 July 2012}}</ref>

Lakshmi studied in [[Queen Mary's College, Chennai|Queen Mary's College]]<ref name=Hindu_fulfilling/><ref>{{cite journal | url=http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl2008/stories/20030425006013300.htm | title=The end of a women's college? | author=Asha Krishnakumar | journal=Frontline | year=2003 | volume=20 | issue=8}}</ref> and later chose to study medicine and received an MBBS degree from [[Madras Medical College]] in 1938. A year later, she received her diploma in [[gynaecology]] and [[obstetrics]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Capt Lakshmi Sehgal, chief of INA women's regiment, passes away at 97|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120723/jsp/frontpage/story_15761639.jsp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120726230832/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120723/jsp/frontpage/story_15761639.jsp|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 July 2012|access-date=23 July 2012|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=23 July 2012|location=Calcutta, India}}</ref> She worked as a doctor in the Government Kasturba Gandhi Hospital located at [[Triplicane]] Chennai.<ref name=Hindu_fulfilling/>

In 1940, she left for [[Singapore]] after the failure of her marriage to pilot P.K.N. Rao.<ref name=Hindu_fulfilling/> During her stay at Singapore, she met some members of [[Subhas Chandra Bose]]'s [[Indian National Army]].<ref name=Hindu_fulfilling/>

===The Azad Hind Fauj===
{{main|Indian National Army}}
[[File:Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Members of the Azad Hind Fauj.jpg|thumb|left| Captain Lakshmi (third from front-right) with [[Subhash Chandra Bose]]]]
In 1942, during the [[Fall of Singapore|surrender of Singapore]] by the British to the Japanese, Lakshmi aided wounded [[prisoners of war]], many of whom were interested in forming an Indian independence army. Singapore at this time had several nationalist Indians working there including [[K. P. Kesava Menon]], S. C. Guha and N. Raghavan, who formed a Council of Action. Their [[Indian National Army]], or ''Azad Hind Fauj'', however, received no firm commitments or approval from the occupying Japanese forces regarding their participation in the war.<ref name="thehindu">{{cite news|last=Menon|first=Parvathi|title=Captain Lakshmi Sahgal (1914 - 2012) - A life of struggle|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3672666.ece?homepage=true|access-date=23 July 2012|newspaper=The Hindu|date=23 July 2012|location=Chennai, India}}</ref>

It was against this backdrop that Subhash Chandra Bose arrived in Singapore on 2 July 1943, and reorganized the movement. Lakshmi Sahgal wrote later,
<blockquote>At the second mass meeting, Netaji [Bose] dropped a bombshell by saying that it was his intention to form a women's infantry regiment, named after the Rani of Jhansi who had fought so heroically against the British in 1857… I told him I was ready to join... The date was July 8, 1943.<ref>{{Cite web |title=My days in the Indian National Army by Lakshmi Sahgal |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/my-days-in-the-indian-national-army-by-lakshmi-sahgal-493887 |access-date=4 July 2024 |website=NDTV.com}}</ref> </blockquote>
Women responded enthusiastically to join the all-women brigade and Dr. Lakshmi Swaminathan became Captain Lakshmi, a name and identity that would stay with her for life.<ref name="thehindu" />

Captain Lakshmi was the Minister in Charge of Women's Organization in the [[Azad Hind|Provisional Government of Free India]] led by Subash Chandra Bose in Singapore.

The INA marched to Burma with the [[Imperial Japanese Army|Japanese army]] in December 1944, but by March 1945, with the tide of war turning against them, the INA leadership decided to beat a retreat before they could enter [[Imphal]]. Captain Lakshmi was arrested by the British in May 1945, remaining in [[Myanmar|Burma]] until March 1946, when she was sent to India – at a time when the [[INA trials]] in Delhi heightened popular discontent with and hastened the end of colonial rule.<ref name="thehindu" />

==Later years==
In 1971, Lakshmi joined the [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]]. During the [[Bangladesh liberation war|Bangladesh crisis]], she organised relief camps and medical aid in Calcutta for refugees who streamed into India from Bangladesh. She was one of the founding members of [[All India Democratic Women's Association]] in 1981 and led many of its activities and campaigns.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tamilnadu.com/personalities/lakshmi-sehgal.html|title=Lakshmi Sehgal|publisher=Tamilnadu.com|date=24 January 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411215433/http://tamilnadu.com/personalities/lakshmi-sehgal.html|archive-date=11 April 2013}}</ref> She led a medical team to Bhopal after the gas tragedy in December 1984, worked towards restoring peace in Kanpur following the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 and was arrested for her participation in a campaign against the Miss World competition in Bangalore in 1996.<ref name="thehindu" /> She was still seeing patients regularly at her clinic in Kanpur in 2006, at the age of 92.<ref name="thehindu" />

In [[2002 Indian presidential election]], four leftist parties{{spaced ndash}}the [[Communist Party of India]], the [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]], the [[Revolutionary Socialist Party (India)|Revolutionary Socialist Party]], and the [[All India Forward Bloc]]{{spaced ndash}}nominated Sahgal as a candidate in the presidential elections. She was the sole opponent of [[A.P.J. Abdul Kalam]], who emerged victorious.<ref>{{cite news|title=Freedom fighter Captain Lakshmi Sehgal dead|url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/node/142996|access-date=23 July 2012|newspaper=Deccan Chronicle|date=23 July 2012|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924204429/http://www.deccanchronicle.com/node/142996|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Lakshmi married [[Prem Sehgal|Prem Kumar Sahgal]] in March 1947 in [[Lahore]]. After their marriage, they settled in [[Kanpur]], where she continued with her medical practice and aided the refugees who were arriving in large numbers following the [[Partition of India]]. They had two daughters: [[Subhashini Ali]] and Anisa Puri.

Subhashini is a prominent communist politician and labour activist. According to Ali, Lakshmi was an [[atheist]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Rediff Interview/Subhasini Ali |url=https://www.rediff.com/news/2001/aug/08inter.htm |website=Rediff.com|date=8 August 2001|quote=Subhashini Ali: "..There are religions that have very rigid rules and there are others that don't. Religion is something that I, as a person, am not interested in. I have always been an atheist. My parents were atheists. It doesn't bother me if somebody is religious. My problem is when religion is used to institutionalise other things."|access-date=18 April 2025}}</ref> The filmmaker [[Shaad Ali]] is her grandson.<ref>{{cite news|title=Freedom fighter Captain Lakshmi Sehgal passes away|url=http://www.indiatimes.com/national/freedom-fighter-captain-lakshmi-sehgal-passes-away-33204.html | work=The Times Of India}}</ref>

==Death==
On 19 July 2012, Sahgal had a cardiac arrest and died on 23 July 2012 at 11:20 A.M. at the age of 97 at Kanpur.<ref>{{cite news| url= http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Captain-Lakshmi-Sahgal-passes-away/articleshow/15103237.cms | title=Captain Lakshmi Sahgal passes away
| date= 23 July 2012 | work=The Times Of India}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=PTI |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/exemplary-life-capt-lakshmi-sehgal-met-patients-till-the-end/article3673445.ece |title=Exemplary life: Capt Lakshmi Sehgal met patients till the end |work=The Hindu |date=23 July 2012 |access-date=31 March 2014}}</ref> Her body was donated to [[Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College]] for medical research.<ref>{{cite news|author=TAPAS CHAKRABORTY |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120724/jsp/northeast/story_15763592.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120728134353/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120724/jsp/northeast/story_15763592.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 July 2012 |title=Lakshmi Sehgal no more |publisher=Telegraphindia.com |date=24 July 2012 |access-date=31 March 2014}}</ref>

==Awards==
In 1998, Sahgal was awarded the [[Padma Vibhushan]] by Indian president [[K. R. Narayanan]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/lakshmi-sahgal-19142012/article3657355.ece#im-image-0 |title=Lakshmi Sahgal (1914-2012) |date=23 July 2012 |work=The Hindu }}</ref> In 2010, she was bestowed with [[honorary doctorate]] by [[University of Calicut]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 December 2010 |title=Mammootty Conferred D.Litt by Calicut University |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/newswire/story/mammootty-conferred-dlitt-by-calicut-university/703504 |access-date=5 November 2020 |website=[[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook India]]}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
[[Rajeshwari Sachdev]] played the role of Captain Sahgal in 2004 film ''[[Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero]]''.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Bravely told heroic tale - Telegraph India | url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/bravely-told-heroic-tale/cid/968821 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224051508/https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/bravely-told-heroic-tale/cid/968821 | access-date=1 February 2025 | archive-date=24 February 2022}}</ref> Shruthi Seth played the role of Sahgal in 2020 [[Amazon Prime Video]] series ''[[The Forgotten Army - Azaadi Ke Liye]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/forgotten-army-azaadi-ke-liye-review-earnest-forgettable-116713|title=The Forgotten Army- Azaadi Ke Liye' review: Earnest but forgettable|first=Saraswati|last=Datar|date=24 January 2020|work=The News Minute|quote=Lakshmi Sahgal (played by Shruti Seth), one of the most iconic figures of the INA is included in the story, but never introduced using subtitles or any other device. I had to wait for the end credits to confirm that Shruti was playing Ms Sahgal and not another female officer.}}</ref>
She also appears as a character in the grand strategy game Hearts of Iron: 4.

==See also==
* [[Indian National Army]]
* [[Janaky Athi Nahappan]]
* [[Rasammah Bhupalan]]
* [[Ethnic communities in Kanpur]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
*Subhashini Ali [http://www.india-seminar.com/2004/540/540%20subhashini%20ali.htm Lakshmi Sahgal: A life in service]
*Indra Guptha ''India's 50 Most Illustrious Women'' {{ISBN|81-88086-19-3}}
*[[Peter W. Fay|Peter Fay]] ''The Forgotten Army: India's Armed Struggle for Independence, 1942-1945''

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.suryakumari.com/articles/lakshmi.html Lakshmi Sehgal: A life of struggle and sacrifice - by Sambhavika Sharma]
* [http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/jul/04inter.htm Rediff interview 2002]
* [http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2511/stories/20080606251101100.htm The Pioneers: The Pioneers: Dr. Lakshmi Sehgal]
* [http://www.indianexpress.com/news/despite-differences-india-is-one-captain-laxmi-sehgal/389553/0 Indian Express Interview: Despite differences, India is one: Captain Laxmi Sehgal]
* [http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/freedom-fighter-captain-lakshmi-sahgal-dies-246468 Freedom fighter Captain Lakshmi Sahgal dies] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226035528/https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/freedom-fighter-captain-lakshmi-sahgal-dies-493851 |date=26 December 2018 }}, NDTV
* [https://www.economist.com/obituary/2012/08/04/captain-lakshmi Captain Lakshmi], ''The Economist'', 4 August 2012
{{Azad Hind Fauj}}
{{Subhas Chandra Bose}}
{{Padma Vibhushan Awards}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sahgal, Lakshmi}}
[[Category:1914 births]]
[[Category:2012 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian medical doctors]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women scientists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women medical doctors]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian medical doctors]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women scientists]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women medical doctors]]
[[Category:Azad Hind]]
[[Category:Candidates for President of India]]
[[Category:Female revolutionaries]]
[[Category:Indian atheists]]
[[Category:Indian communists]]
[[Category:Indian gynaecologists]]
[[Category:Indian independence activists from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Indian independence movement]]
[[Category:Indian National Army personnel]]
[[Category:Indian rebels]]
[[Category:Indian revolutionaries]]
[[Category:Indian women gynaecologists]]
[[Category:Indian women in World War II]]
[[Category:Medical doctors from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Medical doctors from Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Madras Medical College alumni]]
[[Category:People from Kanpur]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in public affairs]]
[[Category:Subhas Chandra Bose]]
[[Category:Women scientists from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Women scientists from Uttar Pradesh]]

Lakshmi Sahgal - Revision history

MarcyThompson89 at 09:21, 8 February 2026