Mistaken by history and forsaken by destiny, Netaji Subash Chander Bose, is indeed one of biggest unsung heroes of Indian freedom struggle and that’s why whenever we discuss him or his brainchild Indian National Army (INA), we get to learn something new. Not only Netaji’s, but life of his companions in INA were equally intriguing and invite great interest from the people

sixty-nine years after India finally got its hard won independence, the courage and contributions of many little known freedom fighters have faded away from public memory. Largely overlooked by writers and historians, these men and women laid the foundation of India’s freedom from the British. One such unacknowledged heroine is a woman few Indians know about, a woman who lived a life of intrigue and danger to help her nation fight colonial rule.

Indian National Army

H ow many of you have heard about Saraswathi Rajamani, one of the bravest freedom fighters of India? She was born with a golden spoon in Rangoon. Her father was the owner of a gold mine in Trichy. He was actively involved in activities against the British. To evade arrest by British forces, he settled down in Rangoon and continued supporting freedom fighters. He was counted as one of the richest Indians settled there. Yet, such was Saraswathi’s love for the motherland that she decided to be part of the Indian freedom struggle from her childhood days. Her family strongly supported the Indian independence movement.

Saraswathi Rajamani was aged 10 when Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi visited her home in Rangoon. While all family members were busy interacting with Gandhi, little Rajamani was practicing the art of shooting.  She was against the concept of Gandhi’s non-violence theory.

Shocked to see the child with a gun, Gandhi ji asked Rajamani why she needed a gun.

“To shoot down the Britishers, of course,” she crisply answered, without even looking at him.

“Violence is not the answer, little girl. We are fighting the British through non-violent ways. You should also do that,” Gandhi ji urged.

“We shoot and kill the looters, don’t we? The British are looting India, and I am going to shoot at least one Britisher when I grow up,” said a determined Rajamani.

Though Gandhi advocated non-violence to the little girl, the latter expressed her desire to shoot the British. 

She grew and heard about Netaji

The 1927 born Rajamani heard a lot about Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and the INA. It was Netaji who christened her with the name Saraswathi. There is an interesting incident behind this. It was the year 1942. Netaji Bose was then in Rangoon to recruit volunteers and collect funds for the INA. 15-year-old Rajamani attended his speech.

Bose, in his speech, urged Indians in Burma to take up arms to liberate India from the colonial British rule. She was so inspired by Netaji’s speech that she donated all her gold and diamond jewellery to the INA. Besides, Rajamani’s father had himself given massive donations to the INA. After knowing about her donation and about her age, Netaji thought that naivety must have let her do the act. He himself visited Rajamani’s house to return the jewellery. But Rajamani refused to take it back. She was adamant on her decision saying it was her jewellery, not her parents’. Impressed by her resolve, he christened her Saraswathi. According to Bose, Lakshmi (wealth) comes and goes but not Saraswathi. He found in Rajamani the wisdom of Saraswathi. Thenceforth, she was called Saraswathi Rajamani.

Saraswathi Rajamani including four of her friends expressed their interest to join the INA. Netaji’s powerful speech had kindled in them a passion to fight for the freedom of India. Rajamani’s father did not stop her neither did the other parents. Moreover, there were no restrictions for girls in her family. Netaji Bose inducted all five into the Rani of Jhansi regiment of INA as covert spies. Their role was to smuggle secrets for the INA’s intelligence wing.

Freedom Fighter Saraswathi Rajamani Who Served As A Young Spy In Indian National Army

At 15, Rajamani was the youngest spy for Bose’s all-woman Rani of Jhansi Regiment led by Captain Lakshmi Swaminadhan (Sahgal). Many of the members of this regiment were Tamil-speaking girls and women drawn by Bose from Southeast Asian countries like Burma, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand and mostly children of businessmen and estate workers. Some of them returned home to Tamil Nadu.

These five girls disguised themselves as boys and started working as errand boys at British military camps and officers’ houses. They intercepted government orders and military intelligence from the British officers and handed the same to the INA. Rajamani was then known as Mani. It continued for nearly two years until one of her friends was caught by the British troops. The witty Saraswathi Rajamani planned a trick to rescue her. Dressed as a dancer, she entered the camp where her friend was kept captive.

Freedom fighter Rajamani and Neera Arya

She drugged the British officers and freed her. While the two were escaping, a bullet happened to hit Rajamani’s leg. The wound did not deter her spirit and they continued running. With large number of British soldiers carrying out their search operation, the two girls, to evade arrest, climbed up a tree where they camped for three long days until the British were out of sight. And then they escaped from there.

The bullet wound made Rajamani limp for life. But she did not regret. Rather she felt proud that her limping was a result of her struggle for the cause of the freedom of India. For her brave act, the Emperor of Japan honored her in front of Netaji. She was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in the Rani of Jhansi Regiment.

INA disbanded and family returned to India

After the 2nd World War, the INA was disbanded. On Netaji’s instructions, Saraswathi Rajamani came to India along with her family. Her family had donated all their wealth for the cause of India’s freedom. Back to India they had to live a life of poverty. Nothing was known about her family since then until in 2005 a newspaper reported how she struggled to make both ends meet with her freedom fighter pension, living in a cramped one-room flat in a poor environment.

"He was so great that he could see what would happen tomorrow. He would surprise you all the time by coming in different disguises. He believed in Swami Vivekananda's ideals, and Netaji was like God to all of us,” Rajamani had said during an interview in 2005.

Despite her struggles, she was still serving the society, collecting old clothes, stitching them, and donating them to the poor and needy. She even donated to 2006 Tsunami victims from her pension! The then chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalitha extended help by offering her a rent-free flat and Rs. 5 lakhs.

Salute to the brave Saraswathi Rajamani. Jai Hind!

References:

thebetterindia.com - Sanchari Palindiatimes.com - Maninder Dabas
timesofindia.indiatimes.com - Jaya Menon
Saffron Swords: Centuries of Indic Resistance to Invaders - Manoshi Sinha Rawal, Yogaditya Singh Rawal