Dr. Captain Lakshmi Sehgal of Subhash Chandra Bose's Indian National Army died of cardiac arrest in a Kanpur hospital on Monday (23 July 2012) at the age of 97 years. Here's a brief history of herv life.

Lakshmi Sehgal was born as Lakshmi Swaminadhan on October 24, l914 in  Chennai, what was then called Madras. Her father was Dr S Swaminadhan, a brilliant and leading lawyer practising criminal law at the Madras High Court. Her mother was A V Ammukutty, a social worker, freedom fighter and tireless campaigner for women's rights, who successfully contested elections to the Madras Municipal Corporation, the Constituent Assembly, the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. She also served as national president of the All India Women's Conference.

As an youngster, Lakshmi participated bravely in nationalist programmes like Swadeshi Movement of burning of foreign goods, including her own clothes and toys, and picketting of liquor shops. She received the MBBS degree from Madras Medical College in l938. A year later, she received her diploma in gynaecology and obstetrics. Lakshmi migrated to Singapore in 1940 and established a clinic where the poorest of the poor, especially migrant Indian labour, could receive medical treatment. In l942 came the historic surrender of Singapore by the British colonial power to the Japanese. Lakshmi was kept extremely busy tending to the many casualties and injuries that resulted from skirmishes. When Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose formed all women regiment of INA - The Rani of Jhansi Regiment - Lakshmi was made a commandant of the regiment. On October 21, l943, when the Provisional Government of Azad Hind was announced, Lakshmi was the sole woman member of its cabinet as a minister.

She played a heroic role not only in the fighting but during the terrible days that INA personnel were hunted by the victorious British troops and saved many lives because of her courage and devotion. She was finally captured and brought to India on March 4, l946 where she received a heroine’s welcome. After her release, in March 1947, Colonel Prem Kumar Sahgal and Captain Lakshmi were married in Lahore. After their marriage, they settled down in Kanpur. In Kanpur, Lakshmi plunged into her medical work almost immediately because the influx of refugees started even before August l947. In l971, when huge numbers of refugees came from what was East Pakistan into West Bengal, Lakshmi worked at a camp in Bongaon for several months.

After this, she became very active in Left politics and in, first, the trade union and, then, the women's movement although she never neglected her medical work. When the All India Democratic Women's Association was formed in l981, she became vice-president of the largest women's organisation in the country and has been actively involved in its activities, campaigns and struggles ever since. In October l984, when anti-Sikh riots broke out in the city in the wake of Smt Indira Gandhi’s assassination, she came out on the streets in defence of Sikh families and shops near her clinic and did not allow any of them to be harmed. In l998, she was awarded the Padma Vibhushan by the president of India. In 2002, she unsuccessfully contested in President of India elections against APJ Abdul Kalam.