The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : An INA veteran lives in penury

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 17, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

An INA veteran lives in penury

Saraswathy Srinivasan

She was born in a rich family that donated its wealth for freedom struggle

Saraswathy Rajamani in INA uniform.

CHENNAI: Age has hardly withered Rajamani's spirit.

At 83, Saraswathy Rajamani lives in a one-room portion in a dilapidated house opposite the Royapettah police station. Several photographs of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose adorn the cramped room's walls.

In one corner is an old sewing machine. On a small narrow table is a radio — her only companion — gifted to her by a friend in the early 1960s. It is obvious, Ms. Rajamani is struggling to meet both ends meet. Not surprising, as she lives off the freedom fighters pension given by the Government. A veteran of the Indian National Army (INA), Rajamani is too proud to admit that she lives in penury. The tragedy is that she was born in a rich miner's family that was a staunch supporter of the Indian freedom movement, in Rangoon in Burma (now Myanmar) and it gave all their wealth for the freedom struggle. C.M. Santhanam, another INA member, who even now calls on Rajamani regularly, says that some of the members had petitioned successive governments to allot a small flat for the old lady, but to no avail.

Rajamani's life changed when she was barely 10. Mahatma Gandhi visited their palatial home in Rangoon. As the entire family played host to the Mahatma, she was practising rifle shooting in their garden. Gandhiji asked her why she needed a gun. "To shoot down the Britishers of course," replied the young girl. Gandhiji told her that satyagraha was the only way to gain freedom.

Lasting impact

If Gandhiji's visit kindled the patriotic fervour in Rajamani, Netaji's visit to Rangoon at the height of the World War II to collect funds for the INA and recruit volunteers made a lasting impact on her. Listening to his fiery speech, Rajamani, just 16 then, donated all her jewellery for the INA's cause. She also wanted to join the INA and Netaji recruited her in the military intelligence wing and named her `Saraswathy.'

Rajamani says that she and four other girls in the unit masqueraded as men for almost two years to gather intelligence on British agents. She recalls how one of the girls who was caught by the British, she dressed herself as a dancing girl, drugged the officers and rescued her colleague. She even suffered a bullet wound in the bargain. When the INA was disbanded after the British won the war, Saraswathy and the other INA members returned to India on Netaji's instructions.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu