Lakshmi Sehgal

Indian revolutionary who commanded the all-women Rani of Jhansi Regiment against British colonial rule

Dr. Lakshmi Swaminathan Sehgal (1914–2014) redefined gender roles in armed resistance as leader of the Rani of Jhansi Regiment – Asia's first all-female infantry unit during World War II. Operating under Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's Indian National Army, her 1,500-strong force conducted guerrilla operations across Burma-India border regions.

A trained gynecologist from 1930s Madras, Captain Lakshmi (as she was known) established mobile field hospitals that simultaneously provided combat training to nurses. Her dual medical-military leadership model inspired later liberation movements like Vietnam's Women's Union. Post-independence, she continued social activism through the All India Democratic Women's Association.

Sehgal's true differentiation lies in reimagining female agency in anti-colonial struggles. Unlike symbolic warrior queens of history, she created institutional structures for women's permanent military participation. The Regiment's veterans became key figures in post-colonial Southeast Asian politics, implementing gender quotas in Malaysia's constitution and Indonesia's education reforms.