Mridula Sarabhai: The Forgotten Firebrand Of India's Freedom Movement
Mridula Sarabhai was born in 1911 into the Sarabhai family, who were one of the most influential industrial dynasties in India. She was the sister of Vikram Sarabhai, who is often called the father of India's space program, and therefore, her family was very wealthy. However, unlike many of her wealthy and privileged peers at the time, she chose to dedicate herself to the struggle for India's freedom from British rule and for social justice and human rights, often at considerable personal expense to herself.
She began to take an interest in nationalist politics at an early age and was strongly influenced by Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence and communal harmony. Although she never held a formal political office or participated in any electoral politics, she was a very influential member of the Indian National Congress Party and had a major impact behind the scenes, working closely with Congress leaders to help achieve independence for India. She was regarded as having great courage, clarity of thought, and a strong sense of morality.
Her life changed and became one of its vastest and darkest chapters during the 1947 partition of India. On this fateful day, India gained its long-fought-for independence; however, this new freedom quickly spiraled into one of the most brutal acts of human tragedy in modern human history. The vast northern states of Punjab and Bengal were engulfed in community riots, and millions were migrated out of their homes in search of sanctuary from the terrible violence; men, women, and children were killed at will by those who didn't care. Mridula had been in Patna working at Gandhi's side for peace restoration in the riot-torn state of Bihar and was granted to travel to Delhi to attend the festivities on the occasion of independence. But even as the tricolour was hoisted at the Red Fort, she learnt that Punjab was aflame with violence.
Wasting no time, she approached Prime Minister Nehru, requesting to travel to Punjab. Though initially hesitant, Nehru eventually gave her the go-ahead. With roads blocked by violent mobs, Mridula flew to Lahore and joined a convoy of terrified Hindu and Sikh refugees heading toward Amritsar. Because they know of Mridula’s past willingness to help Muslims in riots, those traveling with her feel safer than if she weren't there. She has been a place of safety and security to women and children living in fear during this sorrowful and fear-filled time, giving them a sense of hope.
Mridula arrived in Amritsar to a city filled with lawlessness and panic from incoming refugees from over the border, telling the horrific stories of their families being separated, homes destroyed, and women abducted. In the face of so much pain and anger, Mridula decided to continue working for the welfare of all individuals, including Muslims, an unpopular and dangerous position at the time. But she never faltered in her dedication to making this decision.
In the latter years of her life, Mridula mostly withdrew from public view but remained committed to justice throughout her life until her passing in 1974 without writing any memoirs or self-congratulatory accounts. Despite Mridula never being one to seek attention for herself, her fearless relief efforts during Partition, her principled stance on Kashmir, and her lifelong fight for communal harmony have earned her the recognition of being one of modern-day India's unsung heroines.