Birth anniversary of great women freedom fighter Durgabai Deshmukh

New Delhi ( Vivek Ojha): Durgabai Deshmukh was a prominent female freedom fighter and one of the leading women members of the Constituent Assembly. She was born on 15th July 1909 in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh. Her personality was deeply influenced by her father, who, during her childhood, taught her the values of devotion to humanity. At the tender age of just 10, Durgabai established a Hindi Pathshala (school) for women in Kakinada and even took charge of its management.

Remarkably, Mahatma Gandhi, along with Kasturba Gandhi and C.F. Andrews, personally visited to inspect this school when Durgabai was only 12 years old. Upon coming into contact with Gandhiji, she not only set fire to her foreign clothes in front of him but also donated her precious ornaments to him, completely dedicating herself as a volunteer.

Her father’s name was B.V.N. Rama Rao and her mother’s name was Krishnavenamma. Since her father was a social worker, she was deeply inspired by his spirit of selfless social service. At the mere age of 8, she was married off to a landlord. However, demonstrating immense courage, she decided to break free from this bond at the age of 15, well before starting her domestic life.

By liberating herself from child marriage, Durgabai laid the foundation for her future life.Durgabai possessed phenomenal public speaking skills that would leave people astonished. Observing her courageous and resolute personality, people used to call her the “Joan of Arc.”

She made invaluable contributions to the framing of India’s Constitution, which can never be forgotten. She remained perpetually active in improving the social status of women and was at the forefront of several institutions, including the Andhra Mahila Sabha, the University Women’s Association, the Nari Raksha Samiti, and Nari Niketan.

In 1953, after marrying Chintaman Deshmukh—a thinker and former Union Finance Minister—she came to be known as Durgabai Deshmukh. Her husband was the first Indian to become the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). At the time of her marriage, she was a member of the Planning Commission. She was also honored with the Nehru Literacy Award for the propagation of education in the villages of Andhra Pradesh.

Durgabai Deshmukh was also recognized as the “Iron Lady.” Alongside being a great freedom fighter, she was a dedicated social worker and a highly skilled advocate.In 1921, when she met Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, she worked actively to make Gandhi’s tour to her hometown, Kakinada, more impactful and meaningful. She made extensive arrangements to ensure that Gandhi’s message reached Devadasis and women caught in prostitution across villages, encouraging them to leave unethical professions and join the freedom struggle, and facilitating their dialogue with Gandhi.

Even at a very young age, she worked with utmost seriousness to ensure Gandhi’s dialogue with Muslim women and the reach of Gandhian principles to them in Kakinada.As a female member of the Constituent Assembly, Durgabai Deshmukh strongly advocated for an independent and impartial judiciary. She asserted that the independence of the judiciary must be ensured at all costs, and that this largely depended on the manner in which judges were appointed.

Thus, Durgabai Deshmukh initiated a debate in the Constituent Assembly to make the appointment process of judges transparent and accountable. She called upon the assembly to ensure that judges should never feel their appointment was due to “this person or that person, or this party or that party”; rather, they must be made to feel entirely independent.

Durgabai was a member of both the Rules and Procedure Committee and the Steering Committee in the Constituent Assembly. In her capacity as a member of the Constituent Assembly, she proposed approximately 750 amendments on various issues.Durgabai Deshmukh was the only woman on the Panel of Chairmen in the Constituent Assembly.

She once powerfully remarked in the assembly:”When the Constitution can think about wild animals and birds, why can it not think about the protection of orphan children or youths and their liberation from exploitation?”Voicing her opinions strongly in the Constituent Assembly on numerous issues—including orphan children, the spread of education, and women’s rights—Durgabai Deshmukh played a monumental role in the making of the Constitution.

Durgabai also paid special attention to the Hindi language. She learned Hindi for six months and, with the help of her mother, started running a teaching center for nationalist interests. However, in the Constituent Assembly, she emphasized Hindustani (a blend of Hindi and Urdu) instead of pure Hindi, stating that Hindustani alone could be the national language of India as it incorporates both Hindi and Urdu.

She also mentioned that those opposing her suggestion should, just once, adjust their perspective in the interest of minorities.In 1930, when she was arrested for participating in the Salt Satyagraha and sentenced to two years in prison, she shared prison cells with women convicted of various offenses.

During this time, she realized that many of these women had been wrongly prosecuted, framed, and arrested. Consequently, Durgabai resolved to study law so that she could provide free legal aid to such women and save them from false cases, malicious trials, and complex legal procedures. This led her to pursue legal studies, and she was admitted to the Madras Bar in 1942.

When the Non-Cooperation Movement was at its peak, Durgabai decided to leave her school because the English language was being imposed on children there. Later, during the Salt Satyagraha, when freedom fighter T. Prakasam was arrested, she took over the reins of the Salt Satyagraha in Madras. She was subsequently arrested by the British government and sentenced to three years in prison. It was during her time in jail that she became acutely aware of the crimes and atrocities committed against women. Therefore, after serving her sentence, she shifted her focus from active politics toward her education to fight for women’s rights.

She studied law and, in 1942—while the ‘Quit India Movement’ was in full swing—she got appointed to the Madras Bar Association. Around the same time, she started literacy programs for widowed, destitute, and orphan women, helping them pass high school. Through similar campaigns, she founded the ‘Andhra Mahila Sabha,’ which remains active to this day. It is an NGO that works extensively on women-centric issues such as health, disability, rehabilitation, legal aid, and assisting elderly women.

In recognition of her active role in social service, she was made a part of the Constituent Assembly in 1946. As a member of the Steering Committee, she vocally championed women’s property rights under the Hindu Code Bill during the Constituent Assembly debates. In addition, she supported the independence of the judiciary, the selection of Hindustani as the national language, and lowering the age limit for a seat in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) from 35 to 30 years. Regarding the post of Governor, she opined that the appointment should be impartial rather than political, and that the Governor should act as a bridge between the Central and State governments. Furthermore, she suggested that the Supreme Court should appoint the Governor.

She was also honored with the prestigious Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awards. On May 9, 1981, at the age of 71, she passed away in Hyderabad.