Captain Lakshmi Sahgal: The Woman Who Raised an Army for India’s Freedom is a deeply researched and emotionally powerful narrative biography of one of the most extraordinary women of India’s independence movement. Born into privilege yet driven by conscience, Lakshmi Sahgal abandoned a comfortable life to join Subhas Chandra Bose and the Indian National Army during the Second World War, where she became the commander of the historic Rani of Jhansi Regiment — one of the world’s earliest all-women combat units.
From colonial Madras to wartime Singapore, from the jungles of Burma to refugee camps during Partition, this book follows her remarkable transformation from doctor to revolutionary soldier, and later to humanitarian and political activist. Through war, defeat, imprisonment, independence, and social struggle, Lakshmi remained fiercely committed to justice, secularism, and the dignity of ordinary people.
Rich in historical detail and human emotion, this biography not only chronicles the life of Captain Lakshmi Sahgal but also illuminates the larger story of India’s freedom struggle, the Indian National Army, women in revolutionary politics, and the unfinished moral challenges of independent India. It is a story of bravery, sacrifice, idealism, and resilience that continues to inspire generations.
