Lakshmi Sahgal was a former Indian Army officer called as Captain Lakshmi. She picked up a Gun for Indian National Army (INA) founded by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and led it like a tigress in the struggle for Freedom.
A doctor by profession met Nethaji in Singapore who was keen to organize an army comprised of women. In fact, she was in charge of establishing and leading the Rani of Jhansi Regiment, comprising women soldiers. Also before joining INA, she had served a sentence in a Burma prison for her role in the World War II.
During the Bangladesh crisis, she organised relief camps and medical aid in Calcutta for refugees who streamed into India from Bangladesh. She organised camps to help people during Bhopal gas tragedy, anti-Sikh riot.
She was seeing patients until the age of 92. She was the sole opponent of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who was victorious. In 1998, she was awarded Padma Vibhushan.
At the age of 97, July 23, 2012, Captain Lakshmi suffered from cardiac arrest. Her body was donated to the hospital in Kanpur for research.
