Unsung Sheroes - Women Who Fought for Your Rights
- Prashanth
- Jan 1, 2025
- 8 min read
Imagine a woman in 1824, sword in hand, leading an army against the British Empire - not just for her kingdom, but for every woman told her place was in the shadows. That was Rani Channamma of Kittur, Karnataka, one of India’s first freedom fighters. From the 19th century to today, women across India, especially in Karnataka, have battled a male-dominated society to demand education, equality, and dignity. Their stories—of courage, sacrifice, and resilience—are a wake-up call for us, the youth, to honor their legacy and keep fighting for a fairer world. This blog dives into the lives of these sheroes, spotlighting Karnataka’s trailblazers who reshaped their communities and inspire us to act.
19th Century, The Dawn of Defiance
Rani Channamma of Kittur (1778–1829, Karnataka)
Region: Kittur, Belagavi district, Karnataka
Contribution: As the queen of Kittur, Channamma led an armed rebellion in 1824 against the British East India Company, resisting their annexation of her state after her husband’s death. Her defiance sparked one of India’s earliest anti-colonial revolts.
Regional Impact: Her courage inspired Karnataka’s people, especially in Belagavi, to resist foreign rule. Statues and annual Kittur Utsav celebrations honor her as a symbol of sovereignty and women’s leadership.
Struggles: Betrayed by her own officials and defeated in her second battle, she was imprisoned until her death. As a woman ruler, she defied patriarchal norms that confined women to domestic roles.
Why It Matters: Channamma showed that women could lead armies and nations, setting the stage for Karnataka’s women to challenge oppression.
Savitribai Phule (1831–1897, Maharashtra)
Region: Pune, Maharashtra
Contribution: Co-founded India’s first girls’ school in Pune in 1848 with her husband, Jyotirao Phule, becoming India’s first female teacher. She fought caste and gender oppression, opening shelters for widows.
Regional Impact: Her schools in Pune educated thousands of girls, transforming Maharashtra’s social fabric by promoting women’s literacy in a region where education was a male privilege.
Struggles: Faced physical attacks (stones, cow dung) from upper-caste communities who saw women’s education as a threat. She persisted despite social ostracism.
Why It Matters: Savitribai’s fight for education inspired Karnataka’s later activists, like Umabai Kundapur, to prioritize girls’ schooling.
Tarabai Shinde (1850–1910, Maharashtra)
Region: Buldhana, Maharashtra
Contribution: Authored Stri Purush Tulana (1882), a pioneering feminist text critiquing patriarchal norms and defending women’s dignity against societal blame.
Regional Impact: Written in Marathi, her work resonated with Maharashtra’s women, sparking debates on gender equality in a region bound by conservative traditions.
Struggles: Her radical ideas faced backlash in a society where women’s voices were silenced. Her limited recognition during her lifetime reflected patriarchal resistance.
Why It Matters: Tarabai’s bold writing laid an intellectual foundation for Karnataka’s feminists to question male dominance.
Pandita Ramabai (1858–1922, Maharashtra)
Region: Born in Karnataka (Mangalore), active in Maharashtra (Pune)
Contribution: Established Arya Mahila Samaj (1882) and Sharda Sadan (1889) for widows, advocating for women’s education and remarriage. Her book High Caste Hindu Women exposed patriarchal practices.
Regional Impact: Her institutions in Pune empowered Maharashtra’s widows, while her Karnataka roots inspired local reformers to challenge widow stigma.
Struggles: Ostracized for marrying outside her caste and converting to Christianity, she faced resistance from Hindu conservatives.
Why It Matters: Ramabai’s work bridged Karnataka and Maharashtra, showing women could defy tradition and build institutions for change.
Nangeli (Early 19th Century, Kerala)
Region: Cherthala, Kerala
Contribution: Protested the “breast tax” imposed on lower-caste women by cutting off her breasts, leading to her death but forcing the tax’s abolition.
Regional Impact: Her sacrifice in Kerala’s Travancore region sparked outrage, ending a humiliating tax and inspiring caste-based gender reforms.
Struggles: As an Ezhava woman, she faced caste and gender oppression, paying the ultimate price for her defiance.
Why It Matters: Nangeli’s story resonates with Karnataka’s activists like Ruth Manorama, who fight intersecting caste and gender injustices.
Early 20th Century - Freedom and Feminism Unite
Umabai Kundapur (1892–1997, Karnataka) (Image Courtecy, is from this page)
Region: Hubli and Mangalore, Karnataka
Contribution: Led the women’s wing of the Seva Dal, mobilizing Karnataka’s women for the Non-Cooperation Movement (1920). She ran the Tilak Kanya School in Hubli, promoting girls’ education.
Regional Impact: Her leadership empowered women in Hubli and Mangalore to join protests, making Karnataka a hub of women’s political activism. Her school educated generations of girls.
Struggles: Arrested in 1932 and widowed early, she defied norms that expected widows to retreat from public life, facing jail and social scorn.
Why It Matters: Umabai showed Karnataka’s women could be freedom fighters and educators, inspiring youth to value education as empowerment.
Sarojini Naidu (1879–1949, Hyderabad)
Region: Hyderabad, Telangana (then Hyderabad State)
Contribution: A poet and freedom fighter, she advocated for women’s suffrage, becoming the first Indian woman to preside over the Indian National Congress (1925).
Regional Impact: Her speeches in Hyderabad and across India galvanized women, contributing to suffrage rights under the Government of India Acts (1919, 1935).
Struggles: Navigated a male-dominated political sphere where women’s leadership was rare, balancing nationalism with feminist goals.
Why It Matters: Her advocacy influenced Karnataka’s women like Yashodhara Dasappa to demand political rights.
Annie Besant (1847–1933, Tamil Nadu)
Region: Active in Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Contribution: Founded the Women’s Indian Association (1917), advocating for women’s education, suffrage, and an end to child marriage. She led the Home Rule Movement.
Regional Impact: The WIA in Chennai became a national platform, inspiring Tamil Nadu’s women to join the independence and suffrage movements.
Struggles: As a British woman, she faced skepticism from colonial authorities and Indian conservatives, who resisted her push for women’s rights.
Why It Matters: Her work influenced Karnataka’s WIA chapters, amplifying women’s voices in the state.
Yashodhara Dasappa (1905–1980, Karnataka)
Region: Dharwad and Bengaluru, Karnataka
Contribution: Participated in the Shivapura Dhwaja Satyagraha (1938) and Quit India Movement, later working for women’s welfare as a Karnataka Legislative Council member.
Regional Impact: Mobilized women in Dharwad and Bengaluru for protests, improving healthcare and education for Karnataka’s rural women post-independence.
Struggles: Faced imprisonment and societal resistance for her political activism, defying expectations that women avoid public roles.
Why It Matters: Yashodhara’s dual role as activist and policymaker showed Karnataka’s youth that women can shape laws and lives.
Region: Kolar, Karnataka
Contribution: Organized women in Kolar for the Quit India Movement and campaigned against child marriage and dowry, advocating for women’s rights.
Regional Impact: Her work inspired Kolar’s rural women to engage in political and social reform, challenging oppressive practices in Karnataka’s countryside.
Struggles: Faced backlash for opposing traditional practices and endured hardships as a spinster dedicated to activism, uncommon for her era.
Why It Matters: Sunandamma’s grassroots efforts remind Karnataka’s youth that change starts in local communities.
Post-Independence Modern Warriors of Change
Region: Mysore, Karnataka
Contribution: Authored the Mahishi Report (1980s), recommending job reservations for women and Kannadigas in Karnataka’s government sectors. She served in the Karnataka Legislative Council.
Regional Impact: Her policies empowered Karnataka’s women economically, strengthening the Karnataka State Women’s Commission to protect women’s rights.
Struggles: Faced political resistance in a male-dominated legislature, with her focus on Scheduled Castes and Tribes challenging elite interests.
Why It Matters: Mahishi’s work shows youth that policy can drive equality, a lesson for Karnataka’s future leaders.
Kamala Surayya (1934–2009, Kerala)
Region: Kochi, Kerala
Contribution: Her writings, like My Story, challenged taboos around women’s sexuality and autonomy, inspiring feminist discourse.
Regional Impact: Her bold voice in Kerala encouraged women to embrace their identities, influencing South India’s feminist movements.
Struggles: Faced criticism for her candid themes, with her personal life scrutinized in a conservative society.
Why It Matters: Kamala’s courage inspires Karnataka’s youth to speak their truth, even when it’s unpopular.
Region: Bengaluru, Karnataka
Contribution: A Dalit activist, she founded the National Federation of Dalit Women, advocating for Dalit women’s rights and domestic workers. She won the Right Livelihood Award (2006).
Regional Impact: Her work in Bengaluru has empowered Karnataka’s Dalit women, improving labor conditions for domestic workers in urban areas.
Struggles: Faces caste-based prejudice and resistance from upper-caste groups, challenging Karnataka’s social hierarchies.
Why It Matters: Ruth’s fight for intersectional justice inspires youth to address caste and gender in their communities.
Pramila Nesargi (1938–Present, Karnataka)
Region: Bengaluru, Karnataka
Contribution: A lawyer, she tackled child labor, sexual violence, and domestic abuse, becoming the first woman Chairman of the Karnataka Bar Council in 50 years.
Regional Impact: Her legal battles in Bengaluru secured justice for Karnataka’s women and children, strengthening laws on workplace harassment.
Struggles: Faced criticism in a male-dominated legal field, where her authority was often questioned.
Why It Matters: Pramila’s resilience shows youth that legal activism can change lives, especially in Karnataka.
Region: Tumkur, Karnataka
Contribution: Planted 385 banyan trees in Hulikal, earning the title “Vruksha Maate.” She advocates for environmental conservation and women’s empowerment.
Regional Impact: Her work greened Tumkur, inspiring Karnataka’s rural communities to prioritize sustainability and women-led initiatives.
Struggles: Faced stigma as a childless, poor woman, yet persisted without formal education.
Why It Matters: Thimmakka’s story motivates Karnataka’s youth to take small actions for big change.
Baby Halder (1973–Present, West Bengal)
Region: Active in Delhi, born in West Bengal
Contribution: Her memoir A Life Less Ordinary documented her life as a Dalit domestic worker, highlighting class, caste, and gender oppression.
Regional Impact: Her story resonated in West Bengal and beyond, amplifying marginalized women’s voices in urban India.
Struggles: Escaped an abusive marriage and faced stigma as a Dalit writer, yet shared her story globally.
Why It Matters: Baby’s courage inspires Karnataka’s youth to listen to marginalized voices.
Medha Patkar (1954–Present, Maharashtra)
Region: Active in Maharashtra and Gujarat
Contribution: Founded Narmada Bachao Andolan, advocating for displaced women’s rights and environmental justice.
Regional Impact: Her work in Maharashtra protected tribal women’s livelihoods, influencing Karnataka’s environmental activism.
Struggles: Faced arrests and violence, clashing with authorities over development policies.
Why It Matters: Medha’s activism reminds youth to protect Karnataka’s environment and vulnerable communities.
Bharathi Gudlanur (Active 2019–Present, Karnataka)
Region: Koppal, Karnataka
Contribution: Runs a low-cost sanitary pad unit, employing women and educating 11,600 girls on menstrual hygiene.
Regional Impact: Improved menstrual health in Koppal’s rural communities, empowering Karnataka’s women economically and socially.
Struggles: Faces resistance in conservative areas where menstruation is taboo.
Why It Matters: Bharathi’s work shows youth how innovation can break taboos in Karnataka.
Kashavva (Active 2020s, Karnataka)
Region: Northern Karnataka
Contribution: A former Devadasi, she leads efforts to end the Devadasi system, empowering Devadasi and Dalit women through education.
Regional Impact: Her work in northern Karnataka liberates women from ritualized exploitation, fostering resilience in rural communities.
Struggles: Overcame childhood trauma and faces resistance from traditionalists upholding the Devadasi practice.
Why It Matters: Kashavva’s fight inspires youth to challenge Karnataka’s outdated customs.
The Fight Continues
Today, Karnataka’s women face issues like domestic violence, workplace inequality, and caste discrimination. Sakhi Centres assisted 17,944 women from 2021–2024 but lack resources, showing the fight is far from over. Digital platforms like #MeToo India amplify women’s voices, but online harassment persists. Karnataka’s youth can learn from activists like Ruth Manorama and Bharathi Gudlanur to challenge sexism in schools, workplaces, and social media.
Your Turn to Carry the Torch
From Rani Channamma’s battlefield to Kashavva’s fight against exploitation, Karnataka’s women have reshaped their state and India against incredible odds. Their stories—of defying stones, jails, and traditions—are a call to action. As youth, you can honor them by sharing their stories, supporting local NGOs like Karnataka’s Sakhi Centres, or simply questioning why a girl’s dreams are still judged differently. These sheroes fought for your future—let’s keep their fire alive.