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Supplementary Reading

Aruna Asaf Ali - The Great Patriot

Not to be republished
- Edited
Introduction:
(It is common knowledge that the British Empire spread all
over the globe in the past. Our dear motherland was a part of it.
©KTBS
Reeling under the tyranny of the oppressors, she found solace in
the efforts of the freedom fighters that willingly shed their last
drop of blood to redeem her from the shackles of bondage.)

One such luminary was Aruna Asaf Ali, the famous freedom
fighter and the champion of the cause of women.
Read the following biography of this valiant woman
whose remarkable achievement is etched in our history.

Known as the “Grand Old lady of the Independence
movement” Aruna Asaf Ali was a fiery leader who plunged
headlong into politics at a time when the freedom struggle was
raging and the youth were laying down their lives for the country’s
independence.

Born into an orthodox Hindu Bengali family in 1909 at
Kalka in Haryana, Aruna broke conventions at the age of 19, to
marry Asaf Ali, a prominent figure in the freedom struggle and
twenty years her senior. Her marriage brought her face to face
with the freedom struggle and social service which she pursued
throughout her life.

Aruna Asaf Ali’s first major political involvement was during
the Salt Satyagraha when she addressed public meetings and led
processions. She was prosecuted in Delhi and on her refusal to
furnish security for good behaviour, was sentenced to one year
imprisonment. A few months later, when most political prisoners
were being released, she was not released until a public agitation
was launched in her support.

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