<p>"If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman,"&nbsp;Margaret Thatcher once said about women’s innate quality to act, not react. These resounding words hold true everywhere in the world, and more so in India.</p>

<p><br />
What started as a religious rebellion against removal of greased cartridges with one’s teeth—the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857—led to the overthrowing of British Raj from an angry, suppressed India. Everyone fought the good fight: some externally, others within.</p>

<p><img alt="Capt Laxmi Sehgal" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e79ec26d-fe6f-441c-b91f-1a3d4b6bddca" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/pjimage%20-%202021-08-13T182525.560.jpg" /><br />
Like men, women too have pelted stones and barked orders and sung praises of their motherland; demanding the 'Simons to go back'.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
Over generations, magically, leaders like Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Azad adore the textbooks of Indian education system—both private and public—while Begum Hazrat Mahal and Aruna Asaf Alis linger on in the shadows of history.&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="Aruna Asaf Ali" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d5bd283b-2cf2-4c13-9085-a775544b0a9e" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/pjimage%20-%202021-08-13T181002.179.jpg" /><br />
"There is no occasion for women to consider themselves subordinate or inferior to men,"&nbsp;said another freedom fighter, Mahatma Gandhi, and yet, he is globally known as the Father of this Nation while Sarojini Naidu’s stature as the Mother, remains vastly unknown.</p>

<p><br />
We dare not think that the track record has enhanced with the changing time. One would be appalled to learn, if not completely astonished, that the first full-blown Hindi feature film on one of the few widely read figures attached to India’s freedom movement—Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi—was released only in 2019.&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="Kangaga Ranaut in 'Manikarnika'" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="5b804ff5-7d25-4d1d-a4ac-642cb342c924" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/pjimage%20-%202021-08-13T181938.035.jpg" /></p>

<p><br />
If Bollywood took a whole of 70-odd years to hash out the specifics for their first ever woman-centric film on the nation’s rebellion, how long before they make one on another significant Laxmi— Capt Laxmi Sehgal, a revolutionary in her own right? You do the math.</p>

<p><br />
In one of the Bhagat Singh movies—yes, there are at least seven of them—Indian actor Amrita Rao, then in the prime of her career, had played the role of Singh’s fiancée Mannewali in the National Award-winning film ‘The Legend of Bhagat Singh’.&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="Ajay Devgn and Amrita Rao in 'The Legend of Bhagat Singh'" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="117f8722-82ad-4d87-b677-a04d9a6e91e0" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/pjimage%20-%202021-08-13T182805.045.jpg" /></p>

<p>Only trivia that we should know is that no such character exist in reality, or so historians claim. It is strange that fictional first ladies find a space in the lives of those who fought, not the women freedom fighters themselves who were here in flesh and blood.</p>

<p><br />
The heavyweights of Bollywood, who had the gravitas to pull off meaty roles of women behind Independence, have either settled for the role of a lover in a brothel or that of a lonely wife at home.&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="Begum Hazrat Mahal" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="4a624cff-65c7-4b41-afaa-d333a3980bbc" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/pjimage%20-%202021-08-13T180904.573.jpg" /></p>

<p><br />
Ameesha Patel, then (relatively) fresh off the success of cross-border love story ‘Gadar’, wailed away swirling along the curtains in ‘Mangal Pandey’. As for Rani Mukerji, another sidekick in the film meant for Aamir Khan’s titular character, was the steamy affair outside of home.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
The film was largely criticised in the media, not once for lack of justifiable female depiction.</p>

<p><img alt="Ameesha Patel and Rani Mukerji in 'Mangal Pandey: The Rising'" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c6db84df-28b6-41ad-824d-ccceb80872f6" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/pjimage%20-%202021-08-13T182435.070.jpg" /><br />
The rightly deserved school of female athletes have found their own biopic makers—the Mary Koms and Saina Nehwals of India; proud—but why has Bollywood and Indian cinema at large never shed light on those who cut the path out for these women to shine?</p>

<p><br />
For Savitri Bai Phule of Maharashtra, an educationist and social reformer, to carve a small place for herself, an entire university had to change its name. So much for recognition these days.</p>

<p><br />
This trend in cinema is in stark contrast with what poet Rumi had said centuries ago, “Woman is a ray of God… She is creative, not created.”&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
Bollywood needs to get on that boat of thought.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><em><strong>(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)</strong></em></p>


"If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman," Margaret Thatcher once said about women’s innate quality to act, not react. These resounding words hold true everywhere in the world, and more so in India.

"If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman," Margaret Thatcher once said about women’s innate quality to act, not react. These resounding words hold true everywhere in the world, and more so in India. What started as a religious rebellion against removal of greased cartridges with one’s teeth—the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857—led to the overthrowing of British Raj from an angry, suppressed India. Everyone fought the good fight: some externally, others within. Like men, women too have pelted stones and barked orders and sung praises of their motherland; demanding the 'Simons to go back'. Over generations, magically, leaders like Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Azad adore the textbooks of Indian education system—both private and public—while Begum Hazrat Mahal and Aruna Asaf Alis linger on in the shadows of history. "There is no occasion for women to consider themselves subordinate or inferior to men," said another freedom fighter, Mahatma Gandhi, and yet, he is globally known as the Father of this Nation while Sarojini Naidu’s stature as the Mother, remains vastly unknown. We dare not think that the track record has enhanced with the changing time. One would be appalled to learn, if not completely astonished, that the first full-blown Hindi feature film on one of the few widely read figures attached to India’s freedom movement—Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi—was released only in 2019. If Bollywood took a whole of 70-odd years to hash out the specifics for their first ever woman-centric film on the nation’s rebellion, how long before they make one on another significant Laxmi— Capt Laxmi Sehgal, a revolutionary in her own right? You do the math. In one of the Bhagat Singh movies—yes, there are at least seven of them—Indian actor Amrita Rao, then in the prime of her career, had played the role of Singh’s fiancée Mannewali in the National Award-winning film ‘The Legend of Bhagat Singh’. Only trivia that we should know is that no such character exist in reality, or so historians claim. It is strange that fictional first ladies find a space in the lives of those who fought, not the women freedom fighters themselves who were here in flesh and blood. The heavyweights of Bollywood, who had the gravitas to pull off meaty roles of women behind Independence, have either settled for the role of a lover in a brothel or that of a lonely wife at home. Ameesha Patel, then (relatively) fresh off the success of cross-border love story ‘Gadar’, wailed away swirling along the curtains in ‘Mangal Pandey’. As for Rani Mukerji, another sidekick in the film meant for Aamir Khan’s titular character, was the steamy affair outside of home. The film was largely criticised in the media, not once for lack of justifiable female depiction. The rightly deserved school of female athletes have found their own biopic makers—the Mary Koms and Saina Nehwals of India; proud—but why has Bollywood and Indian cinema at large never shed light on those who cut the path out for these women to shine? For Savitri Bai Phule of Maharashtra, an educationist and social reformer, to carve a small place for herself, an entire university had to change its name. So much for recognition these days. This trend in cinema is in stark contrast with what poet Rumi had said centuries ago, “Woman is a ray of God… She is creative, not created.” Bollywood needs to get on that boat of thought. (Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

India Independence: So many female freedom fighters, but so little screen space. Why?

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid tribute to Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru on their death anniversary and said their story of supreme sacrifice will continue to inspire generations.</p>

<p>"I bow to Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev on their martyrdom day. The tale of their courage and valour will continue to inspire generations," Prime Minister Tweeted.</p>

<p>On March 23, 1931, the three revolutionary freedom fighters were hanged to death, a few hours ahead of schedule, in the Lahore conspiracy case.</p>

<p>Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also paid tributes to the three freedom fighters and wrote on the micro-blogging site, "On Martyrdom day of Shaeed-E-Azam Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev, we, remember their supreme sacrifice for the motherland and pay them our respectful tributes. The great martyrs have always been the inspiration for every Indian."</p>


Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid tribute to Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru on their death anniversary and said their story of supreme sacrifice will continue to inspire generations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid tribute to Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru on their death anniversary and said their story of supreme sacrifice will continue to inspire generations. "I bow to Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev on their martyrdom day. The tale of their courage and valour will continue to inspire generations," Prime Minister Tweeted. On March 23, 1931, the three revolutionary freedom fighters were hanged to death, a few hours ahead of schedule, in the Lahore conspiracy case. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also paid tributes to the three freedom fighters and wrote on the micro-blogging site, "On Martyrdom day of Shaeed-E-Azam Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev, we, remember their supreme sacrifice for the motherland and pay them our respectful tributes. The great martyrs have always been the inspiration for every Indian."

PM Modi pays tribute to Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev on their martyrdom day

<p>The family members of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar, demanded the status of national martyr for them.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a>: Family members of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar, demand the status of national martyr for them. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ShaheedDiwas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ShaheedDiwas</a> <a href="https://t.co/8AL4OKZmfK">pic.twitter.com/8AL4OKZmfK</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/977087538321084416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=&lt;blockquote class=twitter-tweet data-lang=en&gt;&lt;p lang=en dir=ltr&gt;&lt;a  data-cke-saved-href=https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw href=https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&gt;#Delhi&lt;/a&gt;: Family members of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar, demand the status of national martyr for them. &lt;a  data-cke-saved-href=https://twitter.com/hashtag/ShaheedDiwas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw href=https://twitter.com/hashtag/ShaheedDiwas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&gt;#ShaheedDiwas&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a  data-cke-saved-href=https://t.co/8AL4OKZmfK href=https://t.co/8AL4OKZmfK&gt;pic.twitter.com/8AL4OKZmfK&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— ANI (@ANI) &lt;a  data-cke-saved-href=https://twitter.com/ANI/status/977087538321084416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw href=https://twitter.com/ANI/status/977087538321084416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&gt;March 23, 2018&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
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<p>A relative of Sukhdev Thapar said, &quot;Been 70 years since India got independent &amp; they&#39;ve still not got the status of &#39;National Martyr&#39;. What can be more shameful than this? They sacrificed their lives for India &amp; govt hasn&#39;t even sanctioned a day&#39;s leave to commemorate that&quot;.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Been 70 years since India got independent &amp; they&#39;ve still not got the status of &#39;National Martyr&#39;. What can be more shameful than this? They sacrificed their lives for India &amp; govt hasn&#39;t even sanctioned a day&#39;s leave to commemorate that: Relative of Sukhdev Thapar <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ShaheedDiwas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ShaheedDiwas</a> <a href="https://t.co/K8h1RxozOi">pic.twitter.com/K8h1RxozOi</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/977091813306720256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=&lt;blockquote class=twitter-tweet data-lang=en&gt;&lt;p lang=en dir=ltr&gt;Been 70 years since India got independent &amp; they've still not got the status of 'National Martyr'. What can be more shameful than this? They sacrificed their lives for India &amp; govt hasn't even sanctioned a day's leave to commemorate that: Relative of Sukhdev Thapar &lt;a  data-cke-saved-href=https://twitter.com/hashtag/ShaheedDiwas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw href=https://twitter.com/hashtag/ShaheedDiwas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&gt;#ShaheedDiwas&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a  data-cke-saved-href=https://t.co/K8h1RxozOi href=https://t.co/K8h1RxozOi&gt;pic.twitter.com/K8h1RxozOi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— ANI (@ANI) &lt;a  data-cke-saved-href=https://twitter.com/ANI/status/977091813306720256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw href=https://twitter.com/ANI/status/977091813306720256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&gt;March 23, 2018&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
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<p>March 23 was declared as Martyr&#39;s Day in 1931 to pay homage to Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru, the martyrs who infused fresh blood in the fight for India&#39;s independence.</p>

<p>The trio fought for India&#39;s independence from the British&nbsp;during the imperial British Raj.</p>

<p>Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were charged with the murder of John Saunders, assistant superintendent of police of that time, and were sentenced to death.</p>

<p>The executions were to be carried out on 24 March 1931, but the three prisoners were hanged a day before, on 23 March at 7:30 pm in Lahore Jail.</p>

<p>At the time of their execution, Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev Thapar were just 23 years old. And Shivaram Rajguru was only 22 when he was hanged.</p>


Sukhdev's relative said: 'Been 70 years since India got independent & they've still not got the status of 'National Martyr'. What can be more shameful than this? They sacrificed their lives for India & govt hasn't even sanctioned a day's leave to commemorate that'

The family members of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar, demanded the status of national martyr for them. #Delhi: Family members of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar, demand the status of national martyr for them. #ShaheedDiwas pic.twitter.com/8AL4OKZmfK — ANI (@ANI) March 23, 2018 × A relative of Sukhdev Thapar said, "Been 70 years since India got independent & they've still not got the status of 'National Martyr'. What can be more shameful than this? They sacrificed their lives for India & govt hasn't even sanctioned a day's leave to commemorate that". Been 70 years since India got independent & they've still not got the status of 'National Martyr'. What can be more shameful than this? They sacrificed their lives for India & govt hasn't even sanctioned a day's leave to commemorate that: Relative of Sukhdev Thapar #ShaheedDiwas pic.twitter.com/K8h1RxozOi — ANI (@ANI) March 23, 2018 × March 23 was declared as Martyr's Day in 1931 to pay homage to Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru, the martyrs who infused fresh blood in the fight for India's independence. The trio fought for India's independence from the British during the imperial British Raj. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were charged with the murder of John Saunders, assistant superintendent of police of that time, and were sentenced to death. The executions were to be carried out on 24 March 1931, but the three prisoners were hanged a day before, on 23 March at 7:30 pm in Lahore Jail. At the time of their execution, Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev Thapar were just 23 years old. And Shivaram Rajguru was only 22 when he was hanged.

Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev's family members demand national martyr status

<p>March 23 was declared as Martyr&#39;s Day in 1931 to pay homage to Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru, the martyrs who infused fresh blood in the fight for India&#39;s independence.</p>

<p>The trio fought for India&#39;s independence from the British&nbsp;during the imperial British Raj.</p>

<p>Activists at an early age, the three were determined to join revolutionaries fighting for independence.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
A revolutionary organisation, Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA), was established in 1928 by Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and others. Its aim was to uproot the British rule from India.</p>

<p>Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were charged with the murder of John Saunders, assistant superintendent of police of that time, and were sentenced to death.</p>

<p>The executions were to be carried out on 24 March 1931, but the three prisoners were hanged a day before, on 23 March at 7:30 pm in Lahore Jail.</p>

<p>At the time of their execution, Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev Thapar were just 23 years old. And Shivaram Rajguru was only 22 when he was hanged.</p>

<p>A few months before he was hanged, Bhagat Singh, who used to read a lot in jail, had written in a pamphlet titled &lsquo;Why I am an atheist&rsquo;:</p>

<p>&ldquo;I know the moment the rope is fitted round my neck and rafters removed from under my feet, that will be the final moment&hellip;.With no selfish motive, or desire to be awarded here or hereafter [in after-life], quite disinterestedly have I devoted my life to the cause of independence because I could not do otherwise. The day we find a great number of men and women with this psychology who cannot devote themselves to anything else than the service&nbsp;of mankind and emancipation of the suffering humanity, that day shall inaugurate the era of liberty.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Bhagat Singh is famous for his quotes, some of which are: &quot;If the deaf are to hear the sound has to be very loud&quot;, &quot;They may kill me, but they cannot kill my ideas. They can crush my body, but they will not be able to crush my spirit&quot;, &quot;Lovers, Lunatics and poets are made of the same stuff&quot;, &quot;Merciless criticism and independent thinking are the two necessary traits of revolutionary thinking&quot;, &quot;Love always elevates the character of a man. It never lowers him, provided love be love&quot;.</p>


The trio fought for India's independence from the Britishers during the imperial British Raj

March 23 was declared as Martyr's Day in 1931 to pay homage to Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru, the martyrs who infused fresh blood in the fight for India's independence. The trio fought for India's independence from the British during the imperial British Raj. Activists at an early age, the three were determined to join revolutionaries fighting for independence. A revolutionary organisation, Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA), was established in 1928 by Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and others. Its aim was to uproot the British rule from India. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were charged with the murder of John Saunders, assistant superintendent of police of that time, and were sentenced to death. The executions were to be carried out on 24 March 1931, but the three prisoners were hanged a day before, on 23 March at 7:30 pm in Lahore Jail. At the time of their execution, Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev Thapar were just 23 years old. And Shivaram Rajguru was only 22 when he was hanged. A few months before he was hanged, Bhagat Singh, who used to read a lot in jail, had written in a pamphlet titled ‘Why I am an atheist’: “I know the moment the rope is fitted round my neck and rafters removed from under my feet, that will be the final moment….With no selfish motive, or desire to be awarded here or hereafter [in after-life], quite disinterestedly have I devoted my life to the cause of independence because I could not do otherwise. The day we find a great number of men and women with this psychology who cannot devote themselves to anything else than the service of mankind and emancipation of the suffering humanity, that day shall inaugurate the era of liberty.” Bhagat Singh is famous for his quotes, some of which are: "If the deaf are to hear the sound has to be very loud", "They may kill me, but they cannot kill my ideas. They can crush my body, but they will not be able to crush my spirit", "Lovers, Lunatics and poets are made of the same stuff", "Merciless criticism and independent thinking are the two necessary traits of revolutionary thinking", "Love always elevates the character of a man. It never lowers him, provided love be love".

Shaheed Diwas: 87th anniversary observed

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