R-Day 2024: The Women Who Shaped The Constitution Of India

India celebrates more than seven decades of being a Republic. It was 26 January 1950 when the Constitution of India came into effect. Dr BR Ambedkar, the Father of the Constitution couldn't have shaped this without the critical contribution of 15 women who shaped it among 389 members of the Constituent Assembly. The theme for Republic Day 2024 is 'India- Mother of Democracy', and it is unavoidable to celebrate democracy without remembering the women members of the Constituent Assembly.

Meet some of the most progressive and powerful voices of India that we seldom talk about, without whose contribution, our constitution may not have been inclusive. 

Hansa Mehta

As the President of the All India Women’s Conference, she was an important voice. A follower of Mahatma Gandhi and a devoted social activist, Hansa Mehta advocated gender equality. She was a champion of education for all and pushed for the upliftment of women across the society. She took this social activism to the pages of the constitution, thereby playing a key role in drafting a constitution that was inclusive of all citizens. Hansa Mehta ensured that Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (‘UDHR’) was made inclusive and the phrase “All men are born free and equal” was changed into “All human beings are born free and equal”.

Ammu Swaminathan

Widely known as Ammukutty, Ammu Swaminathan was an Indian social worker and political activist during the Indian Independence Movement. From Kerala, she was known for her knowledge of the English language, outspoken personality and a woman with a political voice. A follower of Gandhi, she had significant participation in the Quit India Movement that leveraged the Independence of India. Born in an upper caste family, she was often berated for taking to protest and be part of national movements and for her selfless efforts to advocate equal treatment of all.

With her education and activism, later, she became a member of the Indian Constituent Assembly and played an important role in drafting the Indian Constitution. In 1952, she was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha from the Madras constituency. Ammukutty's daughter was Captain Laxmi Sahgal who was an officer of the Indian National Army, and the Minister of Women's Affairs in the Azad Hind government.

Anne Mascarene

Born in 1902, Anne Mascarene has registered many firsts to her name in the political history of India. She was one of the first women to join the Travancore State Congress and the first woman to join the Travancore State Congress Working Committee. Formed in 1938, the Travancore State Congress was significant for the political history of Travancore and later integrated with the Indian Union. 

Mascarene played an important role in this integration and the Independence movement of India. She later became the first woman MP from Kerala when she was elected to the First Lok Sabha as an independent candidate from the Thiruvananthapuram constituency.

Begum Aizaz Rasul

Begum Aizaz Rasul marked her presence as the only Muslim Woman in the Constituent Assembly of India. She was a part of the Muslim League and was one of the handful of people who got elected to the Constituent Assembly. Begum was elected as the Deputy Leader of the Delegation and The Deputy Leader of Opposition in the. 

She made a significant contribution to the drafting of the Constitution by raising her voice against having a separate electorate for Muslims. She found the idea as a “self-destructive weapon which separates the minority from the majority for all the time”. Her efforts finally brought consensus among the members and the Constitution was secular in its true sense.

Dakshayani Velayudhan

India can never forget the struggles of Dr BR Ambedkar to gain rights for the Dalit community and his contribution to the Constitution. But does India remember the first Dalit woman elected in the Constituent Assembly? She was Dakshayani Velayudhan, the first person from the Pulaya Community to gain formal education, the first woman in the community to wear an upper garment and the first and the only Dalit woman in the Constituent Assembly. Velayudhan joined hands with Ambedkar in fighting against many common issues related to Dalit rights.

Kamla Chaudhry

A feminist Hindi short story writer and an active participant in the Indian Independence Movement was Kamla Chaudhry, a woman of word and action. She joined the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1930 with Mahatma Gandhi and simultaneously the Indian National Congress.

Even though she was put behind bars by the British, her sheer activism in the Indian Independence movement saw no setback. She became the Vice-President of the 54^th All India Congress Committee in 1946. Later, she landed as a member of the Constituent Assembly of Independent India.

Malati Chaudhury

Malati Chaudhury was an active member of the Freedom Movement and Indian National Congress. She participated in Salt Satyagraha with Mahatma Gandhi along with her husband and showcased her vigour as a freedom fighter. She took the lead in founding many organisations like Bajiraut Chhatravas for the upliftment of vulnerable communities in Odisha.

Chaudhury was elected as a crucial member of the Constituent Assembly in 1948. Even after Independence and Republic were achieved, Chaudhury continued to be an active voice of dissent by protesting against the Proclamation of Emergency by Indira Gandhi. No doubt, Mahatma Gandhi named her “toophani” for her unbeatable activism.

Leela Roy

Leela Roy was a radical  Indian politician, social reformer, freedom fighter, staunch feminist and a close associate of Subhash Chandra Bose.  In 1947, she founded the Jatiya Mahila Sanghati, a women’s organization in West Bengal. She became the first woman from Bengal to be elected to the Constituent Assembly. In 1960, she became the chairwoman of a new political party that was formed by the merger of Jatiya Mahila Sanghati and the Forward Bloc.

Purnima Banerjee

With many brave women freedom fighters of India, Purnima Banerjee’s name has a special mention in the Indian History of Independence. She was Aruna Asaf Ali’s younger sister. Banerjee actively participated in Freedom Movements like Satyagraha and Quit India Movement. It is said that her activism landed her in jail where she completed her Bachelor's Degree in Arts. Later she became a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly and the Constituent Assembly of India.

Renuka Ray

Renuka Ray was a strong advocate of women's rights and inheritance rights in parental property. She was appointed as the President of All India’s Women’s Conference and was nominated as the representative of women to the Central Legislative Assembly. Later she joined with a strong woman’s voice in the Constituent Assembly and helped in drafting the Constitution. She is also known to have established the All Bengal Women’s Union. In 1952-57, she served as the Minister for Relief and Rehabilitation in Bengal Legislative Assembly.

Rajkumari Amrit Kaur

The fearless woman freedom fighter, Amrit Kaur, is an unforgettable name in the history of Indian Independence. She, along with Margaret Cousins,  co-founded the All India Woman’s Conference in 1927 to promote women's and children’s education and social welfare. She was even jailed for her participation in the Dandi March and Quit India Movement led by Gandhi. Apart from her role in the freedom struggle and drafting of the constitution, Amrit Kaur made remarkable contributions to the medical sector. She set up the Tuberculosis Association of India, the Central Leprosy and Research Institute, was vice-chair of the board of governors of the League of Red Cross Societies and chair of the executive committee of St John’s Ambulance Society.

Sarojini Naidu

Known to Literature as the “Nightingale of India” for her wonderful poems, Sarojini Naidu stands as an inspiring feminist, and social activist with a revolutionary history of a freedom fighter. She was the first woman president of the Indian National Congress and the first woman Indian State governor. Naidu played a pivotal role in achieving women’s right to vote in India. She went to London along with Annie Besant, to present the case of women’s right to vote to the Joint Select Committee.

The effort succeeded as in 1931 congress promised to establish women’s right to vote and in 1947 it was officially enacted with India’s independence. Naidu’s contribution to women’s vote and universal suffrage still resonates in India’s Constitution.

Sucheta Kriplani

Sucheta Kriplani, a graduate of Delhi’s Indraprastha College for Women, taught Constitutional History at Benaras Hindu University. Later, she was elected as India’s first women Chief Minister, serving in Uttar Pradesh. As a member of the constituent assembly, she was responsible for formulating the document that would govern the Independent Indian state.

Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit

Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was an Indian diplomat and politician who became the first woman President of the United Nations General Assembly. Her unbeatable activism in the Freedom struggle landed her behind bars twice, in 1940 and 1942. However, she became a crucial member of the Drafting Committee.

Durgabai Deshmukh

Durgabai Deshmukh was 12 years old when she participated in the Non-Cooperation movement led by Gandhi in 1920. In 1936, she went on to establish the Andhra Mahila Sabha. A Gandhian by philosophy, she took part in the freedom struggle at an early age, became a significant political voice and later became a criminal lawyer.

She was a member of the Steering Committee and participated in the Constituent Assembly Debates. Her legal background made her pivotal in drafting the judiciary section of the constitution. Deshmukh brought a significant amendment in the Draft of the Constitution by lowering the age of obtaining a seat in the council state from 35 to 30 years.

Indeed, these fearless women of politics, freedom fighters and staunch feminists give us the perspective to revisit Indian History and know these unsung contributions. Maybe we are still unaware of more such trailblazing women of history who smile in silence while India celebrates its Republic.