This is about a lady who has played a pivotal role in bringing up a landmark that India is proud of and also has a huge role to play in India’s Independence and reforming the nation. Yes, I am talking about Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, the youngest child of Kapurthala royalty, Sir Harnam Singh Ahluwalia. She was born on 2nd Feb, 1887 and graduated from Oxford University.
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Abstract
This is about a lady who has played a pivotal role in bringing up a landmark that India is proud of and also has a huge role to play in India’s Independence and reforming the nation. Yes, I am talking about Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, the youngest child of Kapurthala royalty, Sir Harnam Singh Ahluwalia. She was born on 2nd Feb, 1887 and graduated from Oxford University.
Content
Her Contribution in India’s Independence Movement
What a splendid contribution she has made to our nation. What should I call her? An activist, a politician, a medical reformer, a visionary, a true feminist and it goes on. To start with, when she came back to India in 1918, she was highly impressed by Gandhi ji’s philosophies.
So, leaving all her princely comforts behind, she joined hands with Gandhi ji and started working for freedom. She rightly quoted that, "The flames of my passionate desire to see India free from foreign domination were fanned by him". While fighting for freedom she was actively involved in many other social causes. She was absolutely against purdah system, child marriage and devdasi system.
Contribution in Constitution
She fought for the equal rights of women too at legislative and administrative fronts. When she was elected to design the Constitution of India, she laid the sections putting stress on men and women equality. She was also a member of the Sub-Committee on Fundamental Rights and Sub-Committee on Minorities.
Contribution to Women Education
She was an ardent feminist of her times. She firmly believed in the presence of women in education and sports. While she served, as a chairperson for All India Women’s Education Fund Association. She was also a delegate to UNESCO conferences to London in 1945.
Contribution in Health Domain
Everyone knows about AIIMS, the most recognized medical research university and one the most reputed health service providers. It was Rajkumari Amrit Kaur’s dream to have an institute in India for postgraduate studies and an indispensable medical institute. While proposing a bill, she said, “It has been one of my cherished dreams that for postgraduate study and the maintenance of high standards of medical education in our country, we should have an institute of this nature which would enable our young men and women to have their postgraduate education in their own country".
The well known fact is she was the First Health Minister of Independent India and served the nation and its people for a decade. Very little known fact is that she has played a significant role in setting up the National Institute of Sports in Patiala. She has enormous feathers in her cap. But this lady of iron will power left for the heavenly abode in 1964, at the age of 75 and left behind a legacy of a Princess who renounced all worldly pleasures just to make life of people around her, better.
