Hoisting the Indian National flag at the Gowalia Tank Maidan on 9 August 1942 defined the public trajectory of Aruna Asaf Ali, marking a pivotal moment in the Quit India Movement. She transitioned from a young educator into a prominent freedom fighter, navigating the volatile political landscape of the British Raj and the subsequent independence of India.
Early Life and Education
Born in Kalka in 1909, she belonged to a Bengali Brahmin family. Her father, Upendranath Ganguly, managed a restaurant, while her mother, Ambalika Devi, was the daughter of the Brahmo leader Trailokyanath Sanyal. Aruna attended the Sacred Heart Convent in Lahore and later All Saints' College in Nainital. She eventually worked as a teacher at the Gokhale Memorial School in Calcutta.
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She married Asaf Ali in 1928, despite opposition from her family due to the disparity in their ages and religions. Her commitment to the independence movement led to her incarceration in 1931. While imprisoned at Tihar Jail in 1932, she engaged in a hunger strike to demand better conditions for political prisoners, an action that resulted in her transfer to Ambala and solitary confinement.
The Quit India Movement
Following the arrest of senior Congress leaders in August 1942, she stepped into a leadership role, presiding over the remaining assembly at the Gowalia Tank Maidan. To evade arrest, she operated underground, where she edited the magazine Inquilab alongside Ram Manohar Lohia. The government placed a 5,000-rupee bounty on her capture, which remained active until she emerged from hiding in 1946.
Post-Independence Career
After the Partition of India, she gravitated toward socialist and communist circles, joining the Socialist Party and later the Communist Party of India. In 1958, she achieved the distinction of becoming the first mayor of Delhi. Her later career included founding Link publishing house, which produced the Patriot newspaper and the weekly journal Link.
Fast facts
- Born: 1909, Kalka
- Died: 1996, New Delhi
- First Mayor of Delhi: 1958
- Lenin Peace Prize Recipient: 1964
- Bharat Ratna: 1997
- Padma Vibhushan: 1992
Questions readers ask
Why was she called the Queen of the 1942 movement?
She earned the title for her courage in leading the movement and hoisting the Indian National flag after senior leaders were imprisoned.
What were her primary occupations?
She worked as an educator, politician, publisher, and was a dedicated freedom fighter.
Achievements
- Lenin Peace Prize — 1964
