Volume-XI, Issue-IV, July 2025 |
The Local Roots of Nationalism: Indumati Bhattacharya Debashis Bera, Assistant Professor, Department of History, Saheed Anurup Chandra Mahavidyalaya, Under University of Calcutta, West Bengal, India |
Received: 02.07.2025 | Accepted: 12.07.2025 | Published Online: 31.07.2025 | Page No: | ||||
DOI: 10.29032/ijhsss.vol.11.issue.04W.108 | |||||||
ABSTRACT | ||
In discussions about women’s contributions to India’s independence movement, their role remains neglected. Except for well-known heroines like Matangini Hazra, Pritilata Waddedar, Kalpana Dutta, and Beena Das, the names of many female freedom fighters are rarely mentioned, and seldom written about. A close look at local history reveals countless women who, leaving behind home and family comforts, dedicated themselves to the struggle for the nation’s freedom. The participation of Midnapore’s women in this commitment to liberate the country is remarkable. At subdivision, police-station, and village levels, they led, managed households, marched alongside men—day and night—against the British. Some even endured imprisonment. Yet these women have not entered the spotlight. Even 78 years after independence, they are overlooked. The current generation doesn’t know their deeds, and doesn’t even know their names. One such neglected heroine is Indumati Bhattacharya, a resident of Jorapukur village under Panskura police station in Tamluk subdivision, Midnapore district. Keyword: Grassroots activism, Women freedom fighters, Independence movement, Local leadership, Oral history, Gender and nationalism |