The struggle for India’s independence was not confined to its borders, nor was it shaped only by leaders like Gandhi, Nehru, or Bhagat Singh. Hidden within history are the stories of women such as Janaki Thevar, Subhadra Khosla, Momota Mehta, Lakshmi Saigal, and Bibi Amar Kaur—brought to light in a 15-day exhibition at Delhi’s India International Centre by award-winning filmmaker and author Sagari Chhabra.
“Hamaara Itihaas Archives of Freedom Fighters” runs at the Kamaladevi Complex until August 23.
When Sagari Chhabra set out to make a film on women freedom fighters, she was stunned to find their contributions barely documented. “This realisation changed my life. I decided to take up the challenge of recording the history of those who survived—before it was too late,” she told The Statesman.
Nearly three decades later, her journey—begun in 1995—continues. Chhabra has travelled across Southeast Asia, from Singapore and Malaysia to Thailand and Burma (present-day Myanmar), gathering evidence of Indians who carried the torch of freedom beyond the country’s borders.
Through her exhibition, she transported visitors to another era, narrating stories of valor, sacrifice, and defiance—women who rallied to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s call: “Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe azadi dunga.”
The exhibition featured over 100 photographs, video interviews, letters, newspaper clippings, and a documentary. At its heart was the story of the Rani of Jhansi Regiment, an all-women combat unit of the Indian National Army (INA) formed in 1943. It was led by Captain Lakshmi Swaminathan Sahgal, who had escaped an arranged marriage in India, only to emerge in Singapore as the commander of more than 1,500 women soldiers.
Chhabra also recounted the story of another Rani, Rasammah Bhupalan, who passed away just a few months ago. She remembered how Bhupalan and her comrades marched for 21 days and nights through the jungles of Burma, fearless and with rifles strapped to their backs, as the INA retreated.
“The Ranis in Southeast Asia were not highlighted enough. They never had a reunion. The Ranis in the south-east never received any pension as freedom fighters of India. However, the Ranis in India did,” told Chhabra.
Through these narratives, Chhabra hopes to inspire women of today, many of whom still face marginalisation and harsh working conditions. The stories of the INA women—who defied their families, left their homes, and united under a single goal of winning freedom for India—show that courage and resistance are timeless. “They can serve as role models for the present generation of women,” she affirmed.