Aruna Asaf Ali (16 July 1909 - 29 July 1996) (born Aruna Ganguli), was an Indian freedom fighter. She is widely remembered for hoisting the Congress flag at the Gowalia Tank maidan in Bombay during the Quit India Movement, 1942. July 16 is the 197th day (198th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 168 days remaining. ... 1909 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... July 29 is the 210th day (211th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 155 days remaining. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Freedom fighter is a relativistic local term for those engaged in rebellion against an established government that is held to be oppressive and illegitimate. ... Indian National Congress (also known as the Congress Party, abbreviated INC) is a major political party in India. ... Indian National Flag Flag ratio: 2:3 The National Flag of India was adopted as such during an ad hoc meeting of the Constituent Assembly held on 1947-07-22, just before Indias independence on 1947-08-15. ... Gowalia Tank Maidan (now also known as August Kranti Maidan) is a park in central Bombay where Mahatma Gandhi issued the Quit India movement on 8 August 1942 decreeing that the British must leave India immediately or else mass agitations would take place. ... This article or section should be merged with Mumbai Mumbai (previously known as Bombay) is the worlds most populous conurbation, and is the sixth most populous agglomeration in the world. ... The Quit India Movement was a call for immediate independence for India issued by MK Gandhi on August 8, 1942. ... This article is about the year. ...

Early life

Aruna was born at Kalka, Haryana into a Bengali Brahmo Samaj family. She was educated at Lahore and Nainital. She graduated and worked as a teacher, an achievement in itself for women, given the conditions prevalent in the country at that time. She taught at the Gokhale Memorial School in Calcutta. She met Asaf Ali, a leader in the congress party at Allahabad and married him in 1928, despite parental opposition on grounds of religion (she was a Hindu while he was a Muslim) and age (a difference of more than 20 years). The Khalkha, or Halh (Халх) in modern Khalkha Mongolian, is a subgroup of the Mongols. ... Haryana (हरयाणा) is a state in north India. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Brahmo Samaj is a social and religious movement founded in Kolkata, India in 1828 by Raja Ram Mohan Roy. ... Lahore (لاهور) is a major city in Pakistan and is the capital of the province of Punjab. ... Nainital is a district of the state of Uttaranchal, India. ... Gopal Krishna Gokhale (गोपाल कृष्‍ण गोखले) was born on May 9, 1866, in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra. ... This article is on Calcutta/Kolkata, the city. ... Asaf Ali (1888-1953) was an Indian freedom fighter. ... Map of India. ... 1928 was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... A Hindu is an adherent of Hinduism, the predominant religious, philosophical and cultural system of India (Bharat). ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم) is an adherent of Islam. ...

Freedom Struggle – Early days

She became an active member of Congress Party after marriage and participated in public processions during the Salt Satyagraha. She was arrested on the charge that she was a vagrant and hence not released in 1931 under the Gandhi-Irwin Pact which stipulated release of all political prisoners. Other women co-prisoners refused to leave the premises unless she was also released and gave in only after Mahatma Gandhi intervened. A public agitation secured her release. In 1932, she was held prisoner at the Tihar Jail where she protested the indifferent treatment of political prisoners by launching a hunger strike. Her efforts resulted in an improvement of conditions in the Tihar Jail but she was moved to Ambala and was subjected to solitary confinement. She was politically not very active after her release. Indian National Congress (also known as the Congress Party, abbreviated INC) is a major political party in India. ... Scenes on the eve of the Salt Satyagraha, Gandhis famous 240 mile march on foot to the sea at Dandi. ... Vagrancy is a crime in some European countries, but most of these laws have been abandoned. ... 1931 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Gandhi-Irwin Pact refers to a political agreement signed by Mahatma Gandhi and the-then Viceroy of India, Lord Irwin on 5th March 1931. ... Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (October 2, 1869 – January 30, 1948) (Devanagari: मोहनदास करमचन्द गांधी, Gujarati મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી) was a national icon who led the struggle for Indias independence from British colonial rule, empowered by tens of millions of common Indians. ... 1932 is a leap year starting on a Friday. ... Ambala is a small town located on the border of the states of Haryana and Punjab in India. ...

Face of Quit India movement

On 8 August 1942, the AICC passed the Quit India resolution at the Bombay session. The government responded by arresting the major leaders and all members of the Congress Working Committee and thus tried to pre-empt the movement from success. A young Aruna Asaf Ali presided over the remainder of the session on 9 August and hoisted the Congress flag at the Gowalia Tank maidan. This marked the commencement of the movement. The police fired upon the assembly at the session. Aruna was dubbed the Heroine of the 1942 movement for her bravery in the face of danger and was called Grand Old Lady of the Independence movement in her later years. Despite absence of direct leadership, spontaneous protests and demonstrations were held all over the country, as an expression of desire of India’s youth to achieve independence. August 8 is the 220th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (221st in leap years), with 145 days remaining. ... This article is about the year. ... The All India Congress Committee or AICC is the central decision-making assembly of the Congress Party. ... The Quit India Movement was a call for immediate independence for India issued by MK Gandhi on August 8, 1942. ... This article or section should be merged with Mumbai Mumbai (previously known as Bombay) is the worlds most populous conurbation, and is the sixth most populous agglomeration in the world. ... The executive committee of the Congress Party in India, typically consisting of fifteen members elected from the All India Congress Committee or AICC, is known as the Congress Working Committee or CWC. It is headed by the Working President. ... August 9 is the 221st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (222nd in leap years), with 144 days remaining. ...

Countdown to Independence

An arrest warrant was issued in her name but she went underground to evade the arrest. Her property was seized and sold. In the meanwhile, she also edited Inquilab, a monthly magazine of the Congress Party, along with Ram Manohar Lohia. In a 1944 issue, she exhorted youth to action by asking them to forget futile discussions about violence and non-violence and join the revolution. The government announced a reward of Rs. 5,000/- for her capture. She fell ill and Mahatma Gandhi sent her a hand-written note to her to come out of hiding and surrender herself – as her mission was accomplished and as she could utilize the reward amount for the Harijan cause. However, she came out of hiding only after the warrant against her was withdrawn in 1946. She treasured the note from the Mahatma and it adorned her drawing room. Due to the efforts of several freedom fighters, India achieved independence from the British on 15 August 1947. Ram Manohar Lohia was born on March 23, 1910 in a village named Akbarpur in the District of Faizabad. ... 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Nonviolence (or non-violence) is a set of assumptions about morality, power and conflict that leads its proponents to reject the use of violence in efforts to attain social or political goals. ... The Rupee (₨ or Rs. ... In South Asias caste system, an untouchable, dalit, or achuta is a person outside of the four castes, and considered below them. ... 1946 was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ... 1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Post-Independence

She was a member of the Congress Socialist Party, a caucus within the Congress Party for activists with socialist leanings. Disillusioned with the progress of Congress party on socialism she joined a new party, Socialist Party in 1948. She however left that party along with Edatata Narayanan and they visited Moscow along with Rajani Palme Dutt. Both of them joined the CPI before Stalin's death. On domestic front, she was bereaved when Asaf Ali died in 1953. In 1954, she helped form the National Federation of Indian Women, the women’s wing of CPI but left the party in 1956 following Khruschev's disowning of Stalin. In 1958, she was elected the first Mayor of Delhi. She and Narayanan started Link publishing house and published a daily newspaper, Patriot and a weekly, Link the same year. The publications became prestigious due to patronage of leaders such as Nehru, Krishna Menon and Biju Patnaik. Though there was no formal marriage, she and Narayanan practically lived together. Following his death, she moved out of the publishing house due to internal politics, stunned by greed taking over the creed of her comrades. In 1964, she rejoined the Congress Party but stopped taking part in active politics. Despite reservations about the emergency, she remained close to Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in her life time. The Congress Socialist Party was founded in 1934 as a socialist caucus within the Indian National Congress. ... A caucus is most generally defined as being a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement. ... Indian National Congress (also known as the Congress Party, abbreviated INC) is a major political party in India. ... The color red and particularly the red flag are traditional symbols of Socialism. ... Socialist Party has been the name of several political parties in India, all of which have their roots in the Congress Socialist Party formed during the freedom struggle. ... 1948 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Moscow (Russian: Москва́, Moskva, IPA:   listen?) is the capital of Russia, located on the river Moskva. ... Rajani Palme Dutt (1896 - 1974) was a leading figure in the Communist Party of Great Britain. ... The Communist Party of India (CPI) is a political party in India. ... Iosif (usually anglicized as Joseph) Vissarionovich Stalin (Russian: Иосиф Виссарионович Сталин), original name Ioseb Jughashvili (Georgian: იოსებ ჯუღაშვილი; see Other names section) (December 21, 1879[1] – March 5, 1953) was a Bolshevik revolutionary and leader of the Soviet Union. ... 1953 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1954 was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... NFIW logo National Federation of Indian Women, the womens wing of Communist Party of India. ... 1956 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nikita Khrushchev in 1962 Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (Russian: Ники́та Серге́евич Хрущёв) (nih-KEE-tah khroo-SHCHYOFF) (April 17, 1894 – September 11, 1971) was the leader of the Soviet Union after the death of Joseph Stalin. ... 1958 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A mayor (from the Latin maÄ«or, meaning larger,greater) is the politician who serves as chief executive official of some types of municipalities. ... This article deals with the city of Delhi. ... A day is any of several different units of time. ... Jawaharlal Nehru (जवाहरलाल नेहरू) (November 14, 1889 - May 27, 1964), also called Pandit (Teacher) Nehru, was the leader of the (moderately) socialist wing of the Indian National Congress during and after Indias struggle for independence from the British Empire. ... Vengalil Krishnan (V.K.) Krishna Menon (May 3, 1897 - October 6, 1974) was an eminent Indian nationalist and politician. ... Biju Patnaik one of the leader in modern orissa. ... 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Emergency was the darkest period of Indian history when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency and effectively ruled by decree for nineteen months between 1975-1977. ... Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (इन्दिरा प्रियदर्शिनी गान्धी) (November 19, 1917 – October 31, 1984) was Prime Minister of India from January 19, 1966 to March 24, 1977, and from January 14, 1980 until her assassination in 1984. ... Rajiv Gandhi (राजीव गान्धी) (August 20, 1944 – May 21, 1991), the first son of Indira and Feroze Gandhi, was the Prime Minister of India from his mothers death on October 31, 1984 until his resignation on December 2, 1989 following the general election defeat. ... The Padma Bhushan is a decoration established on the January 2, 1954 by the President of India. ...

Legacy

She was awarded India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, posthumously in 1997. In 1998, a stamp commemorating her was issued. Aruna Asaf Ali marg in New Delhi is named after her. All India Minorities Front distributes the Dr Aruna Asaf Ali Sadbhawana Award annually. Bharat Ratna is Indias highest civilian award. ... Posthumous means after death. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... This article is about the urban region which is the capital of India. ... All India Minorities Front is a political party in India, based amongst the muslim minority. ...

Anecdote

Aruna Asaf Ali was well known for her Spartan lifestyle – she used public transport. In her eighties, once she was travelling in a crowded bus in Delhi and no seat was vacant. A fashionable young lady also boarded the bus and a gentleman trying to impress her, vacated his seat. This lady, in turn, offered the seat to Aruna Asaf Ali who accepted it. At this, that man protested, saying to the lady, "I vacated that seat for your sake, sister." Aruna Asaf Ali retorted with her quick wit, "Never mind, mother always comes before sister." This article deals with the city of Delhi. ...

External Links

• An Obituary of Mrs. Aruna Asaf Ali by Inder Malhotra in The Guardian
• A write-up on Aruna Asaf Ali
• Another write-up on Aruna Asaf Ali