Why Anandiben Patel Ought to Remember Captain Lakshmi Sehgal, Kanpur’s 'Mother Comrade'

“Women should strive to become expert mothers before aspiring to be an IAS officer or a teacher," stated Anandiben Patel, Uttar Pradesh governor, while addressing the gathering at the 41st convocation of Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University (CSJMU), Kanpur.

It was a statement grounded in patriarchy, parental responsibility and service towards one’s family. In making that statement, the governor seemed to have overlooked that Kanpur’s own public memory holds a very different notion of motherhood, one embodied in Captain Lakshmi Sehgal, who was commonly known as “Mummy” by the local populace.  

Kanpur being a city of mill and factory workers had its own problems and its own messiah. Devendra Srivastav, a 70-year-old labour rights activist from the city recalls a key protest that can give the reader an idea of who Mummy was. In 2001, the closure of Indian Explosives Limited (IEL), a fertilizer manufacturing plant in Kanpur, triggered a labour movement that continued until 2005, bringing together workers, their families, and labour rights activists – all united in their demand for the factory’s reopening. “The first memory that comes to my mind while recalling the protests is that when there was a heavy downpour, the workers who were unprepared for the rain were rushing to seek shelter. But with her voice undeterred and her face unbothered, a lone figure held her ground. That was Lakshmi Sehgal for me and for most of us in Kanpur," says Srivastav.

Her commitment to service and social justice wasn't built in the protest years alone. Peter Ward Fay, in The Forgotten Army - India’s Armed Struggle for Independence 1942-1945, recounts his first meeting with the Lakshmi Sehgal and Prem Sehgal, and reflects on how their modest, unassuming domestic life gave little hint of the extraordinary history they carried with them. In 1964, Peter Ward and his wife Mariette settled in Kanpur, and it was there that they came to know Lakshmi and Prem; she, an obstetrician, he, the manager of a local mill. And in the course of two years, gradually, he came to realise that the couple before him had not merely witnessed history but had helped shape it. Prem Sahgal and Lakshmi Swaminathan, as she was known before her marriage, had been among the foremost figures of the Indian National Army, their lives deeply intertwined with one of the most remarkable yet often overlooked chapters of India's struggle for independence.

Captain Lakshmi Sehgal, the freedom fighter 

Born Lakshmi Swaminadhan on September 24, 1914, in Chennai to lawyer S. Swaminadhan and women's rights campaigner A.V. Ammukutty, Sehgal was drawn early into the freedom struggle, burning foreign cloth and picketing liquor shops. S. Pushpalatha in her 2019 research paper, Lakshmi Sehgal (1914-2012) – Captain of the world’s first Women’s Modern Military Arrangement notes that Sehgal’s political awakening deepened under Subashini, Sarojini Naidu's sister and a Meerut conspiracy case accused, who hid in Lakshmi's home, sharing nights of discussion on communism. Edgar Snow's Red Star Over China proved another formative influence. She earned her MBBS from Madras Medical College in 1938, followed by a diploma in gynaecology and obstetrics. In 1940 she moved to Singapore, building a reputation as a skilled physician and treated Indian soldiers when Singapore fell to Japan in 1942, unaware her defining chapter still lay ahead.

The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (Nalanda Sriwijaya Centre) and the High Commission of India in Singapore had brought out a booklet on Netaji's connection with Singapore, which states:

“At public meetings 6 and 9 July, he revealed his pet project when he called on all Indian women to rise and complete the work the Great Rani undertook in 1857…There was no way, he felt, that freedom could be won by only half the population. The first woman to answer Netaji's call was Dr. Swaminadhan - coincidentally also named Lakshmi-a young medical doctor who had come to Singapore in 1940.”  

On July 12, 1943, she managed to round up 2o women to create a guard of honour for the parade and led the ‘Rani of Jhansi Regiment’. Lakshmi Swaminathan became the pioneer of this military formation and was given the rank of Captain, hence the name "Captain Lakshmi.”

As reported by The Bombay Chronicle on November 7, 1945, Sarat Chandra Bose, the brother of Subhas Chandra Bose, addressing a massive gathering at Chowpatty Sands in Bombay on November 5, 1945, paid a tribute to the INA officers. Extending his solidarity to the officers, Bose had declared:

“Leaders may come and leaders may go. But, Shah Nawaz, Dhillon, Sehgal and Captain Lakshmi and the other officers and men of the Azad Hind Fauj will live for ever. They have set an example, and Indja will never forget them, but will always cherish them in their hearts. India to-day needs not one Shah Nawaz, not one Dhillon, not one Sehgal and not one Lakshmi, but hundreds and thousands of Shah Nawazs, Dhillons, Sehgals and Lakshmis.” 

Captain Lakshmi played a heroic role and saved many lives by her courage as leader of the INA. In December 1944, the INA marched into Burma alongside the Japanese, but by March 1945 the tide of war had turned decisively against them. Lakshmi was arrested that July and held under house arrest in the Burmese jungle until March 1946, when she was finally sent to India. She married Colonel Prem Sehgal, who was also a leader of the INA working with Subhas Chandra Bose, in Lahore and settled in Kanpur. 

Sehgal is also remembered for her run as India's first woman presidential candidate in 2002. But there is yet another part of her life which deserves to be told now, more than ever, and is pertinent to the years she spent in Kanpur. This is her role as a doctor and as an advocate of labour and women rights, both of which profoundly redefined what service and motherhood could mean beyond the walls of a household. 

Between riots and curfew 

As soon as Lakshmi Sehgal settled in Kanpur in 1947, the Partition led the city to be engulfed by the flames of communalism. At this height of the crisis, Sehgal distinguished herself as perhaps the only woman doctor willing to enter the Muslim localities that had become isolated by communal violence. She came forward to provide medical aid and treatment in neighbourhoods where most other doctors feared even to set foot. 

She remained particularly concerned about the condition of Muslim women, many of whom faced profound social exclusion, economic hardship, and limited access to education in the wake of communal upheaval. 

In 1984, at the age of 70, Sehgal faced the anti-Sikh violence in Kanpur. Fidan Yildrim reports in Newaya Jin, a Kurdish newspaper, in October 2018, that after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984, amid the anti-Sikh violence in Kanpur, Sehgal did not allow any harm to come to those who took refuge at her clinic and worked hard to restore peace in the environment. Her daughter and former member of parliament from Kanpur, Subhashini Ali says:

“Mummy, undeterred by the escalating danger, walked through the riot-stricken streets, confronting violent mobs and intervening to protect innocent lives. Armed with nothing more than a chappal in hand, she stood alone before the mob, unflinching, and refused to retreat or allow violence to be inflicted upon anyone. She went on to work tirelessly in the relief camps that followed, and was, in time, honoured by the Sikh community for her exceptional courage, compassion, and unwavering commitment to justice.” 

In the years 1990-91, Kanpur witnessed a turbulent phase marked by repeated curfews, following Prime Minister V.P. Singh’s announcement to implement the Mandal Commission's recommendations.

In the midst of this chaos, Sehgal took it upon herself to ensure that people were safe and their basic needs were met. “She refused to be intimidated," recalls Uma Kant, a social activist from Kanpur.

"During the blockade, many households faced an acute shortage of rations. So Mummy would arrive, trucks laden with supplies in tow. She went from house to house, treating the sick regardless of the risk. Despite the  police trying to restrain her, they could not coerce her into standing down. She would drive into the most volatile areas, rescue families whose lives were under imminent threat, and personally ensure that they were safely relocated.” 

Sehgal as a workers' rights activist 

Kanpur had a large population of industrial workers who were subjects of constant exploitation. Sehgal viewed the workers’ protests as part of a larger fight against economic exploitation and social inequality. Over the years, she stood at the forefront of the struggles of Kanpur's working class.

In 1990, Kanpur registered one of the largest workers' protests in its history. On the night of March 27, 1990, several protesters gathered in front of the Lohiya Machine Limited Company’s headquarter, to demand compensation of Rs 35,000 for the death of Ram Chandra Sahoo. Ram Singh, the former President of IEL Employees’ Union remembers it well.

“As per an agreement with the management, any worker injured or killed while commuting to or from work was entitled to compensation equivalent to seven years' salary, payable on the very day of the incident. However, LML and its managing director, refused to accede to the workers' demands.”

During the demonstration, Sahoo's body was kept at the site of his death as a mark of protest. The following day, March 28, the police arrived to remove it. The workers resisted, and in the scuffle that ensued, the police opened fire, killing another worker, Sudama. On March 29, Sehgal led a march from Dada Nagar to the District Magistrate’s Office to demand action and compensation for the workers’ deaths.

Her intervention which stretched to rural Kanpur Dehat as well, became a moral force. Her personal investment ensured workers' demands were heard and met with appropriate action.  

Reflecting on the labour struggles of that period, Ram Singh said, "There were four fundamental demands that formed the core of almost every workers' movement: the implementation of the eight-hour workday, four paid holidays each month, timely payment of wages as agreed, and the regularisation of employment."

At Frontier Springs Limited in 1993, an agitation grew demanding the abolition of the gruelling 12-hour shift, from 7 am to 7 pm, and its replacement with the legally recognised eight-hour workday. As part of the protest, the workers encircled the residence of the company's owner. The demonstration was met with state repression, and the protesters were arrested and imprisoned. After spending four days in jail, they were finally released. Ram Singh recalls seeing Lakshmi Sehgal standing there, holding the flag of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) alongside fellow supporters, ready to receive the workers. "The moment I saw her waiting for us," he remembered, "I could not hold back my tears." 

Women's health advocate

Settling in an industrial city after Independence gave Sehgal a number of challenges. She devoted herself to the cause of the workers, women, refugees, minorities, and the urban poor, most often through provision of affordable and free healthcare. Her clinic in Arya Nagar, Kanpur, gradually became popular among the ordinary because treatment was never determined by one’s ability to pay.

Neelam Tiwari, a social activist and a member of the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) recalled:

“When Mummy reached at the inauguration of AIDWA unit in Jeura basti, we were intrigued to see that women of the basti already knew her as their doctor. People loved her not only because of her medical services for the marginalised, but also because of the trust, compassion, and dignity with which she treated every patient.” 

She recounted how Sehgal herself told her that the women of Jeura basti were mostly working women, employed as domestic helpers. Sehgal frequently visited this settlement. There were instances when she would attend to patients in the basti even at midnight and in an emergency, with no medical infrastructure or service available. Every Friday, she would also distribute free medicines in marginalised localities free of cost. 

Her fee was Rs 2 in the initial years of her practice in Kanpur, and by 2012, it had been raised to Rs 30, still exempting industrial workers and the downtrodden. 

Sehgal regarded family planning as essential for public health and women’s health in particular. A board in her clinic read that a child’s sex is determined by the father, not the mother. She counselled her patients on matters of family planning and often chided the husband if the wife underwent repeated pregnancies or malnutrition.

She believed that in working-class families, women’s access to family planning methods gave them a louder voice and independent lives. In cases of failed conception, she was one of the first doctors in Kanpur, who would get both the partners tested since at that time, men were usually exempted from fertility tests. Because of its adherence to science, her clinic acquired something close to a sacred reputation in Kanpur.

A Comrade Mother 

Lakshmi Sehgal earned something that no election or office could confer. Reflecting on her extraordinary dedication to her patients, her daughter Subhashini Ali added:

“Whenever any of us fell ill, she would take care of us. But before leaving for her clinic, she would always say, "There are people at home to look after you, but there is no one to look after my patients except me'."

Between protests and clinic duties, Sehgal refused to compromise on either and in that refusal, the people of Kanpur found a mother who stood by them in every circumstance. 

Her commitment to public service remained undiminished until the very end of her life; she continued to treat patients well into her nineties. She passed away on July 23, 2012. Her body was donated to the anatomy department of Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College for teaching and research. Even in death, she chose to serve humanity.

Ainie Naqvi has studied Peace and Conflict Resolution from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.

Yusra Naqvi is a History graduate from Delhi University and researcher.

Note: An earlier version of the piece had inadvertently mentioned that Lakshmi Sehgal died in 2026. The correct year is 2012.

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