Sarojini Naidu

Sarojini Naidu is one of the most well-known freedom fighters. After her return from her studies in England, she was inspired by India’s Independence movement and took an active part in it from that point onwards. She participated in the Non-Cooperation movement, the Home Rule movement, and the Salt Satyagraha to name a few. For this participation in the freedom struggle, she was jailed by the British Indian government five times.

Naidu became the first Indian woman to preside over the annual Indian National Congress held in Kanpur in 1925 and after Independence became the first Indian woman to be a governor of a province when she became governor of Uttar Pradesh.

She juggled a dizzying amount of roles throughout her life: she was a writer, freedom fighter, activist, politician, and poet. You can read more about her life here.