She may have been sidelined, but she is still a heroine.
Be a sweetheart and do a simple exercise for me- close your eyes, take a deep breath and think about any brave Indian woman with timeless chronicles. Any.
I have nothing against Rani Lakshmi Bai but why is it that she has been plastered as the sole torch bearer of bravery in historical women? How many more do you know, ask yourself, without having had to search into the depths of modern internet literature? Why do our textbooks enlist only warriors as bravado? To end this non-metaphorical silence on such topics, let's reminisce about female icons who clearly deserve more space in the memories of the coming ages.
Imagine the 10th century CE, fights over who should ascend the throne has led to the death of Aditya Karikalan, the heir of the magnanimous Chola dynasty. Step in, the educated and efficient younger sister of the deceased, princess to the Chola throne, mentor to the next king in line, RajaRaja Chola I. Being the elder sister of the future of the throne, she took it as her responsibility to contribute towards administrative decisions instead of migrating into another kingdom by marriage, she served her people, especially when her brother was out on military conquests. She married Vallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan, a chieftain and became the queen of his areas within the empire. RajaRaja Chola I respected and felt indebted to her, for she helped the woman he loved become his able empress, helped bring up his kids- the future of his empire and blessed him with the roof of her guidance. She established various Hindu and Jain temples, thus building the heritage of her empire and engraving her name in the pages of history in pure gold. She is Ālvār Sri Parāntakan Sri Kundavai Nachiyar, a strong heroine meant for worship.
Moving ahead in time and towards the North, we reach the lands of a legendary princess, one whose existence has been a topic of debate, who is inspiring nevertheless. King Jaichand and Prithviraj Chauhan were archrivals so much that to insult the Chauhan scion, Jaichand kept a statue of him as a guard outside his daughter's Swayamwar. But his daughter's love weighed heavier than his ego. Following the suit of Goddess Sati, she went against her father's ego to marry her own Shiva. She garlanded Prithviraj's statue and he revealed himself from his hiding so as to fulfil her desire to be with him. She was headstrong enough to make her own choice and place her wish in front of a mediaeval society, something which many of us cannot do even today. Legend says that she supported him like a pillar throughout his life, even when he was dethroned and even when his eyes were plucked out by the cruel invader Mohammed Ghori. She is Princess Sanyogita, a lady of her word.
The 16th Century Mewari Rajput hero, Maharana Pratap, would have never existed if not for a brave mother. Udai Singh, the father of Maharana Pratap, was just a child when he was named as successor amidst a rivalry within the noble family. A distant cousin, Banvir, who was named his regent, lured by the lust of the throne, hatched an evil plan. Udai's nurse was alerted by the spies, they couldn't afford losing the heir in line and so she too hatched a plan. She sent little Udai away with a few trusted servants and left her son covered by a bedsheet on the Prince's bed instead. In the fumes of haste and with devilous thoughts in his mind, Banvir ruthlessly killed the child, like a coward in the night. Happy and satisfied, he claimed himself as king in the absence of the heir while Panna Dai, with her unfaltering allegiance to the throne, kept aside the sorrow of the death of her child and took the prince to safety. She helped him grow capable enough so he could reclaim his rights and become a good ruler to his matrubhumi. Her efforts didn't go in vain, Maharana Udai Singh reclaimed his throne the very year Maharana Pratap was born.
A few centuries later, the Mughal empire was in full bloom. It had been just 4 years since militant Sher Afghan died in a fight in Bengal in support of the throne, that Emperor Jahangir took a liking for his widow who then served as the previous Empress Ruqaiyah's lady in waiting. Thus she became Jahangir's 20th but most favoured wife. This carved her path to become an able administrator and militant ruler as the Empress of Mughal India, almost a regent while the Emperor squandered his time over art. Originally Persian, born in modern day Afghanistan, she became the only Mughal Empress to have her face and name inscribed on the silver coins of the dynasty, the utmost symbol of authority. Her step sons revolted, a woman as the supreme seemed unacceptable but it was her ambitious and strong nature that kept her important enough to be mentioned in history. She was Mehr un Nisa, popularly known as Noor Jahan, one of the women who showed the light of female power to the world.
In the east, further ahead in time, we reach pre-independence Bengal. Ramakrishna Paramhansa's devotional obsession with the Goddess Kali had earned him the title of a madman amongst the masses. The old couple who had got their erstwhile 5-year-old daughter married to Ramakrishna worried about her fate. However, the now 18-year-old girl was steadfast in her mind. "My husband isn't mad." Was all she said as she finally left her maternal home to commence her Patni Dharm. Ramakrishna welcomed her warmly and endearingly said that he sees Kali mata in her. He made her sit on a pedestal meant for the Goddess and prayed to her. This change of events must have been hard for her to process but the spiritual awakening that her husband had invoked in her couldn't be bound. She took up on herself the responsibility of taking care of everyone who came in their refuge. She never had any biological children, yet she became an epitome of maternal love. She is Sarada devi, the then living embodiment of the Mother Goddess.
Along the same timeline, in the West Coast of India, a woman fought, not with daggers or arrows, but with ink and paper against an oppressive system. She had been married as a child to a distant relative but thanks to her stepfather's reformative ideas had not been forced to consummate it. As she grew up, her husband resented his initial decision of being a gharjamai and forced her to accompany him to his relative's house. Her voice strong, she disagreed. She didn't believe in the marriage anymore and appealed to court with her family's support. The court upheld her husband's side, threatening her imprisonment for denying her husband, stating a Hindu law made by the gross misinterpretation of the scriptures as supported by the British and the patriarchal benefactors. Even revolutionaries like Lokmanya Tilak supported this decision against her, stating her stand to be an influence of the West. But she stood brave, with just an appeal to Queen Victoria, she emerged free and unbound. She even pursued medical studies and became the second Indian woman to have both studied and practised medicine. She is Rukhmabai, a pioneer in our struggle for autonomy.
Even if I had enough paper to cover the world thrice, it would be impossible to enlist each valiant heroine. The examples are endless. Each one of them is neglected in popular narratives for we, as a society, seldom pay heed to stories that aren't worshipping a hero. This is just a step towards hoping that our recital improves.