Let's Celebrate the Unsung Heroes this Republic Day 🧡🤍💚
- Goohika Joshi
- Jan 26, 2022
- 3 min read
All of us are proud to be celebrating India's 73rd Republic Day today. But what most people don't know is that today is also the birth anniversary of Rani Gaidinliu, an unsung hero from the Indian Independence Struggle, who stood up for what she believed in and touched the lives of many. Read on to know her story...
It was a calm day in the mountains of Nagaland- the birds were chirping, there were slight ripples on the water of the lakes and a cool breeze was blowing. The tall mountains of north-east India concealed many secrets and had many stories to tell.
Usually, all the simple and innocent people of the hills would sit and listen. But these days were different. In a sharp contrast to the peace of the mountains, the people could feel a storm brewing in their minds. The birds there were free, and they too were, physically. But their souls were held captive by the British.
“We are free people — the white man should not rule over us,” calling out to her Zeliangrong tribesmen was the voice of 13-year-old Rani Gaidinliu, who joined the freedom struggle as a successor of her cousin Haipou Jadonang.
Rani Gaidinliu was born on January 26, 1915- which would later become the Republic Day of free India- in the Tamenglong district of western Manipur. Belonging to a socially backward region, she never received any formal education. However, this did not stop her from being aware of her rights and becoming an active part of the freedom struggle.
Gaidinliu became a strong force in a socio-political movement called Heraka (meaning ‘pure’), seeking to drive out the British from the region. The movement took inspiration from ancestral Naga practices, and the people carried out guerrilla attacks on the British authorities.
She started rebelling against British rule. Demanding freedom, she asked her fellow tribesmen to refuse to pay taxes. Soon, Gaidinliu got majority on her side and did not cooperate with the British, posing a huge threat to them.
On October 17, 1932, Gaidinliu and her followers were arrested by the British. She was convicted for murder and her attack on the Assam Rifles. While most of her associates were either executed or jailed, she was sentenced to life imprisonment.
In 1937, on his tour of Manipur, Nehru wrote about her, “What suppression of spirit they have brought to her who in pride of her youth dared to challenge the Empire…And India does not even know of this brave child of her hills.” Nehru also called her the “Rani of the Nagas.”
She was released in 1947 after India’s independence and was given the title of ‘Rani’ by then-prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. After her release, she worked to empower and uplift the weak.
Even today, the story of her sacrifice is not known to most Indians, and she remains to be the forgotten daughter of the hills, but the queen of a few hearts. She is truly the golden girl of Indian independence.
Today, and everyday, we are grateful to all the sung and unsung heroes who bled and sweated to help India reach where it is today 🧡🤍💚. A big THANK YOU to our soldiers, who serve our country selflessly, and each Indian who works for the betterment of the nation. We will always be indebted to all of you 🙏🏻.
Wishing everyone a very #HappyRepublicDay2022 🥳🙌🏻!
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Lots of Love
Goohika ✨
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