#patronageofleaders

[amhikolhapurkar-blog]

Aruna Asaf Ali was an active member of #CongressParty after marrying #AsafAli and participated in public processions during the #SaltSatyagraha. She was arrested on the charge that she was a vagrant and hence not released in 1931 under the #GandhiIrwinPact 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 #MahatmaGandhi intervened. A public agitation secured her release. In 1932, she was held prisoner at the #TiharJail 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 #solitaryconfinement. She was politically not very active after her release but at the ending of 1942 she took part in underground movement. She was active in it. On 8 August 1942, the #AllIndiaCongressCommittee passed the #QuitIndia resolution at the #Bombaysession. The government responded by arresting the major leaders and all members of the #CongressWorkingCommittee and thus tried to pre-empt the movement from success. Young #ArunaAsafAli presided over the remainder of the session on 9 August and hoisted the #Congressflag at the #GowaliaTankmaidan. This marked the commencement of the movement. The police fired upon the assembly at the session. Aruna was dubbed the Heroine of the #1942movement for her #bravery in the face of danger and was called #GrandOldLady 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. She and #Narayanan started #LinkPublishingHouse and published a #dailynewspaper, #Patriot and a weekly, #Link the same year. The publications became prestigious due to #patronageofleaders such as #JawaharlalNehru, #KrishnaMenon and #BijuPatnaik After Independence, she remained active in politics, becoming Delhi's #firstmayor in 1958. She received India's highest civilian award, the #BharatRatna, posthumously in 1997. She died in New Delhi