The Nayaka Dynasty once ruled this rocky terrain for about 250 years between the 1550s and 1700s. During the late-1700s, the Chitradurga kingdom lay in between two great powers — the Maratha kingdom in the north, ruled by Peshwa Madhav Rao, and the Mysore kingdom in the south, ruled by Hyder Ali.
During the reign of the last Nayaka ruler of Chitradurga, Hyder Ali tried to lay siege and attacked the fort multiple times. The fort was so well built that it was impregnable, and the initial attacks by Hyder Ali were unsuccessful.
One day, a soldier in Hyder Ali’s army saw a person entering the fort through a small crevice between the rocks surrounding the fort. The hole was big enough for only one person to crawl through at a time. With this piece of information, Hyder Ali decided to attempt another siege by sending his soldiers through this crevice into the fort.
A sentry of Chitradurga was guarding the crevice inside the fort. His name was Kahale Mudda Hanuma, and his wife’s name was Obavva.
One afternoon when Kahale Mudda Hanuma was at home for lunch, Obavva went out to fetch a pot of drinking water.
On her way back, she saw one of Hyder Ali’s soldiers entering the fort from the crevice. Thinking quickly, Obavva took an Onake or a pestle (a long wooden device used for pounding paddy and other grains) and struck him on his head, killing him instantly.
Anticipating more soldiers, Obavva hid the dead soldier’s body and stood guard at the crevice. A lone woman with no prior training in the art of war did not deter her from this situation.
True to her anticipation, more soldiers crawled into the fort through the crevice. She struck every soldier one after the other, as they entered through the hole, and dragged each dead soldier’s body aside.
When Kahale Mudda Hanuma returned after lunch, he was stunned to see a bloodied Onake in Obavva’s hand and a pile of dead soldiers on the side. He immediately sounded the war alarm and warned the others to prepare for battle.
Obavva died the same day of this incident, but the actual reason for her death remains unknown.
Although Obavva’s heroic act delayed Hyder Ali’s siege on the fort, the last Nayaka ruler lost to Hyder Ali. And Mysore conquered the Chitradurga fort.
Neither losing the war, nor Obavva’s death could mar her achievement. Obavva had no prior experience in warfare. But, she rose to the situation, used whatever little resource she had, and displayed exemplary resolve and courage to prevent enemies from entering the fort. In doing so, she has given us a lesson not to get discouraged and face any challenge thrown at us with courage and determination.
History refers to her as Onake Obavva. The crevice she was once guarding is now called Obavvanna Kindi (Kindi means crevice in Kannada), and Chitradurga has a stadium named after her. The legend of Onake Obavva continues to marvel both kids and adults alike
It is widely known that women’s contributions to social change throughout history have been subject to the blatant erasure of facts, so much so that all important moments in history appear to have been manifested by men. It becomes increasingly necessary to take a careful glimpse back into history to ensure that women’s achievements are not dismissed, that they were as much a part of enabling positive social change as their counterparts who are men. Today, we talk about Saraswathi Rajamani, an Indian spy.
Despite Gandhi’s efforts in fostering in her the value of ‘ahimsa’ (non-violence), she was always convinced that a non-violent struggle would not be as effective as a violent one. She replied, “We shoot and kill the looters, don’t we? The British are looting India, and I am going to shoot at least one Britisher when I grow up.” Following her beliefs, she eventually gravitated to the methods of obtaining freedom that Subhas Chandra Bose advocated for. His methods resonated with her deeply, and she adopted the slogan, “Tum mujhe khoon do or main tumhe azadi dunga (You give me blood, and I will give you freedom)."
At the age of 16, Saraswathi Rajamani was inspired by Subhas Chandra Bose, his unapologetic demeanour, and his powerful speech on taking up arms against the British. On his way back from the speech, as Bose was requesting for funds for the Indian National Army (INA), the young girl gave away all her jewellery to him. With little faith in the judgement of a 16-year old, Bose went to her house to return the jewellery, only for the gesture to be rejected both by Rajamani’s fierce insistence and her father’s encouragement to support the INA. It was this generous step that led Bose to name her ‘Saraswathi’, which means ‘wealth’.
Impressed by Saraswathi’s dedication to the cause of obtaining freedom from the British, Bose recruited her into the INA, making her the youngest person, as well as the first woman spy, to have joined the INA’s intelligence wing. Saraswathi Rajamani was bestowed with the opportunity to investigate government orders and convey any message from the British military to the INA. She would be disguised as a young boy under the name of ‘Mani’. While she performed her duty well, there came an instance wherein she was forced to disregard the rule of not getting caught when her friend was captured by the British. Rajamani dressed as a dancing girl to enter the British camp, drugged the British officer, and rescued her partner.
She did, however, get shot in the leg in her attempt to escape. Far from allowing this to slow her down, Rajamani continued to run, even climbed a tree and camped there for three days whilst the British conducted a search operation. Instead of letting the limp get the best of her otherwise fiery spirit, Rajamani wore it as a beloved souvenir of her days as a spy. However, as it often happens, her important role as a member of Bose’s army soon slipped into oblivion…
For the most part, Rajamani stayed alone in an old house in Chennai with hardly any savings as her family had given away almost everything they had to the freedom struggle. It was only in 2005 that J. Jayalalitha, the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, offered her a different house to live in, which Rajamani adorned with photos of Netaji. Despite her old age, her faith in the nation did not wither. She also made sure to give back to society by collecting fabric scraps from tailors and donating hand-sewn clothes to old age homes and orphanages. Additionally, her philanthropic spirit is evident in the fact that in 2006, she donated her dismal pension to the relief fund established for those who were affected by the tsunami.
It is indeed a tragedy that such a strong (and badass!) personality has been allowed to be forgotten. There is scarce information available on her life, very few details on the nature of her work and how she contributed to it. A rare gem, Saraswathi Rajamani proved very early on in life that she was a warrior who would fight endlessly for what she deemed important with unmatched determination. One can only hope to take inspiration from her and learn from her example the confidence it takes to stand up for your principles
In 1929 at Lahore, the Congress voted for complete independence as against a dominion status for India and passed a resolution fixing the last Sunday of January 1930 – which happened to be January 26 – as the Complete #IndependenceDay.
On the midnight of December 31, 1929, on the eastern bank of the river Ravi, in the shadow of the Badshahi Masjid, Gurdwara Dera Sahib and the Lahore Fort, Jawaharlal #Nehru raised the “swaraj” flag that was later adopted as the national flag of India. After Partition and #Independence on August 15, 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru saw to it that India’s new #constitution took effect on January 26, 1950, thus ensuring that it would not remain just a date in #history.
*If you tell a kid a hundred times that he/she is a loser and even in times he/she fought hard he still ultimately lost - will the kid grow up confident & happy?*
Then why do Indian school history text books only talk about losses? Why are even their version of heroes valiant losers like Porus, Prithviraj Chauhan , Rana Sangha or Hemu? What is the subliminal message a kid gets ? But more importantly is it even true?
Answer - NOT TRUE
Indian monarchs have won as many times as they have lost and we have had many kings that have been expansionist outside India and total winners out and out. There is ZERO information on these winners in India.
Read our sample list of winners below and think of how many of these names do you really know?
1) Lachit Borpukan & Ahom empire of Assam - beat Mughal armies 17 times & never got conquered
2) Sikh empire of Ranjith Singh & his main general Hari Singh Nalwa - ruled all over Pakistan, Afghanistan & Kashmir - Afghans used to run scared of them
3) Kashmiri king Gulab singh & his general Zorawar Singh - invaded & conquered Tibet
4) Rajendra Chola - Tamil empire was extended to almost all of South Asia
5) Krishnadevaraya of Hampi - Babur never attacked south because he had heard of how powerful this man was
6) Kakatiyas of Orrisa - Consolidated large area in East India and Deccan
7) Raja Sundermal - had his kingdom in Bharatpur in middle of Mughals
8) Rana Kumbha - Thrashed invaders and built a victory stambh
9) Bajirao Ballal - Mughals & Deccan sultans shivered in fear just by his name. Never lost single battle. Expanded Maratha empire all the way till Attock - Pakistan
*Most Indians have not even heard these names - but they have all heard how we lost 3 $Panipats, how #Prithviraj lost to Ghuri, how Ghazni defeated us 17 times, how we lost Plassey, how we lost first war of independence*
All subliminal mind games to keep you feeling inferior and mentally colonized!!
A significant number of Indian NGOs funded by donors based in US, UK, Germany and Netherlands have been noticed to be using people-centric issues to create an environment, which lends itself to stalling development projects.
| Assam |
| 1. United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) |
| 2. National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) |
| 3. United People's Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) |
| 4. Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) |
| 5. Bodo Liberation Tiger Force (BLTF) |
| 6. Dima Halim Daogah (DHD) |
| 7. Karbi National Volunteers (KNV) |
| 8. Rabha National Security Force (RNSF) |
| 9. Koch-Rajbongshi Liberation Organisation (KRLO) |
| 10. Hmar People's Convention- Democracy (HPC-D) |
| 11. Karbi People's Front (KPF) |
| 12. Tiwa National Revolutionary Force (TNRF) |
| 13. Bircha Commando Force (BCF) |
| 14. Bengali Tiger Force (BTF) |
| 15. Adivasi Security Force (ASF) |
| 16. All Assam Adivasi Suraksha Samiti (AAASS) |
| 17. Gorkha Tiger Force (GTF) |
| 18. Barak Valley Youth Liberation Front (BVYLF) |
| 19. Muslim United Liberation Tigers of Assam (MULTA) |
| 20. United Liberation Front of Barak Valley |
| 21. Muslim United Liberation Front of Assam (MULFA) |
| 22. Muslim Security Council of Assam (MSCA) |
| 23. United Liberation Militia of Assam (ULMA) |
| 24. Islamic Liberation Army of Assam (ILAA) |
| 25. Muslim Volunteer Force (MVF) |
| 26. Muslim Liberation Army (MLA) |
| 27. Muslim Security Force (MSF) |
| 28. Islamic Sevak Sangh (ISS) |
| 29. Islamic United Reformation Protest of India (IURPI) |
| 30. United Muslim Liberation Front of Assam (UMLFA) |
| 31. Revolutionary Muslim Commandos (RMC) |
| 32. Muslim Tiger Force (MTF) |
| 33. People’s United Liberation Front (PULF) |
| 34. Adam Sena (AS) |
| 35. Harkat-ul-Mujahideen |
| 36. Harkat-ul-Jehad |
| Jammu & Kashmir |
| Terrorist Outfits |
| 1. Lashkar-e-Omar (LeO) |
| 2. Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) |
| 3. Harkat-ul-Ansar (HuA, presently known as Harkat-ul Mujahideen) |
| 4. Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) |
| 5. Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) |
| 6. Harkat-ul Mujahideen (HuM, previously known as Harkat-ul-Ansar) |
| 7. Al Badr |
| 8. Jamait-ul-Mujahideen (JuM) |
| 9. Lashkar-e-Jabbar (LeJ) |
| 10. Harkat-ul-Jehad-i-Islami |
| 11. Al Barq |
| 12. Tehrik-ul-Mujahideen |
| 13. Al Jehad |
| 14. Jammu & Kashir National Liberation Army |
| 15. People’s League |
| 16. Muslim Janbaz Force |
| 17. Kashmir Jehad Force |
| 18. Al Jehad Force (combines Muslim Janbaz Force and Kashmir Jehad Force) |
| 19. Al Umar Mujahideen |
| 20. Mahaz-e-Azadi |
| 21. Islami Jamaat-e-Tulba |
| 22. Jammu & Kashmir Students Liberation Front |
| 23. Ikhwan-ul-Mujahideen |
| 24. Islamic Students League |
| 25. Tehrik-e-Hurriat-e-Kashmir |
| 26. Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Fiqar Jafaria |
| 27. Al Mustafa Liberation Fighters |
| 28. Tehrik-e-Jehad-e-Islami |
| 29. Muslim Mujahideen |
| 30. Al Mujahid Force |
| 31. Tehrik-e-Jehad |
32.
Islami Inquilabi Mahaz |
| Other Extremist and Secessionist Groups |
| 1. Mutahida Jehad Council (MJC) -- A Pakistan based coordination body of terrorist outfits active in Jammu and Kashmir |
| 2. Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF)-- The dominant faction of this outfit declared a ceasefire in 1994 which still holds and the outfit restricts itself to a political struggle. |
| 3. All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) -- an alliance engineered by Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) of 26 diverse political and socio-religious outfits amalgamated to provide a political face for the terrorists in the State. |
| 4. Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM) -- an outfit run by women which uses community pressure to further the social norms dictated by Islamic fundamental groups. |
| Manipur |
| 1. United National Liberation Front (UNLF) |
| 2. People’s Liberation Army (PLA) |
| 3. People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) |
| The above mentioned three groups now operate from a unified platform, |
| the Manipur People’s Liberation Front (MPLF) |
| 4. Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) |
| 5. Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) |
| 6. Manipur Liberation Tiger Army (MLTA) |
| 7. Iripak Kanba Lup (IKL) |
| 8. People’s Republican Army (PRA) |
| 9. Kangleipak Kanba Kanglup (KKK) |
| 10. Kangleipak Liberation Organisation (KLO) |
| 11. Revolutionary Joint Committee (RJC) |
| 12. National Socialist Council of Nagaland -- Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) |
| 13. People’s United Liberation Front (PULF) |
| 14. North East Minority Front (NEMF) |
| 15. Islamic National Front (INF) |
| 16. Islamic Revolutionary Front (IRF) |
| 17. United Islamic Liberation Army (UILA) |
| 18. United Islamic Revolutionary Army (UIRA) |
| 19. Kuki National Front (KNF) |
| 20. Kuki National Army (KNA) |
| 21. Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) |
| 22. Kuki National Organisation (KNO) |
| 23. Kuki Independent Army (KIA) |
| 24. Kuki Defence Force (KDF) |
| 25. Kuki International Force (KIF) |
| 26. Kuki National Volunteers (KNV) |
| 27. Kuki Liberation Front (KLF) |
| 28. Kuki Security Force (KSF) |
| 29. Kuki Liberation Army (KLA) |
| 30. Kuki Revolutionary Front (KRF) |
| 31. United Kuki Liberation Front (UKLF) |
| 32. Hmar People’s Convention (HPC) |
| 33. Hmar People's Convention- Democracy (HPC-D) |
| 34. Hmar Revolutionary Front (HRF) |
| 35. Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA) |
| 36. Zomi Revolutionary Volunteers (ZRV) |
| 37. Indigenous People's Revolutionary Alliance(IRPA) |
| 38. Kom Rem People's Convention (KRPC) |
| 39. Chin Kuki Revolutionary Front (CKRF) |
| Meghalaya |
| 1. Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) |
| 2. Achik National Volunteer Council (ANVC) |
| 3. Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) |
| 4. Liberation of Achik Elite Force (LAEF) |
| 4. People’s Liberation Front of Meghalaya (PLF-M) |
| 5. Hajong United Liberation Army (HULA) |
| Nagaland |
| 1. National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) – NSCN(IM) |
| 2. National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) – NSCN (K) |
| 3. Naga National Council (Adino) – NNC (Adino) |
| Punjab |
| 1. Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) |
| 2. Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) |
| 3. International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) |
| 4. Khalistan Commando Force (KCF) |
| 5. All-India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) |
| 6. Bhindrawala Tigers Force of Khalistan (BTFK) |
| 7. Khalistan Liberation Army (KLA) |
| 8. Khalistan Liberation Front (KLF) |
| 9. Khalistan Armed Force (KAF) |
| 10. Dashmesh Regiment |
| 11. Khalistan Liberation Organisation (KLO) |
| 12. Khalistan National Army (KNA) |
| Tripura |
| 1. National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) |
| 2. All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) |
| 3. Tripura Liberation Organisation Front (TLOF) |
| 4. United Bengali Liberation Front (UBLF) |
| 5. Tripura Tribal Volunteer Force (TTVF) |
| 6. Tripura Armed Tribal Commando Force (TATCF) |
| 7. Tripura Tribal Democratic Force (TTDF) |
| 8. Tripura Tribal Youth Force (TTYF) |
| 9. Tripura Liberation Force (TLF) |
| 10. Tripura Defence Force (TDF) |
| 11. All Tripura Volunteer Force (ATVF) |
| 12. Tribal Commando Force (TCF) |
| 13. Tripura Tribal Youth Force (TTYF) |
| 14. All Tripura Bharat Suraksha Force (ATBSF) |
| 15. Tripura Tribal Action Committee Force (TTACF) |
| 16. Socialist Democratic Front of Tripura (SDFT) |
| 17. All Tripura National Force (ATNF) |
| 18. Tripura Tribal Sengkrak Force (TTSF) |
| 19. Tiger Commando Force (TCF) |
| 20. Tripura Mukti Police (TMP) |
| 21. Tripura Rajya Raksha Bahini (TRRB) |
| 22. Tripura State Volunteers (TSV) |
| 23. Tripura National Democratic Tribal Force (TNDTF) |
| 24. National Militia of Tripura (NMT) |
| 25. All Tripura Bengali Regiment (ATBR) |
| 26. Bangla Mukti Sena (BMS) |
| 27. All Tripura Liberation Organisation (ATLO) |
| 28. Tripura National Army (TNA) |
| 29. Tripura State Volunteers (TSV) |
| 30. Borok National Council of Tripura (BNCT) |
| Mizoram |
| 1. Bru National Liberation Front |
| 2. Hmar People's Convention- Democracy (HPC-D) |
| Arunachal Pradesh |
| 1. Arunachal Dragon Force (ADF) |
| Left-wing Extremist groups |
| 1. Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) |
| 2. People's War Group |
| 3. Maoist Communist Centre |
| 4. People's Guerrilla Army |
| 5. Communist Party of India-Marxist Leninist-Janashakti(CPI-ML-Janashakti) |
| 6. Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC) |
| Other Extremist Groups |
| 1. Tamil National Retrieval Troops (TNRT) |
| 2. Akhil Bharat Nepali Ekta Samaj (ABNES) |
| 3. Tamil Nadu Liberation Army (TNLA) |
| 4. Deendar Anjuman |
| 5. Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) |
| 6. Asif Reza Commando Force |
| 7. Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) |
| 8. Kamatapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) |
| 9. Ranvir Sena |
