Jual Oram, Ministry of Tribal affairs shares the lesser known story of Rani Gaidinliu of Nagaland, who fought valiantly against the British Raj

Our freedom struggle is filled with stories of extraordinary valour of brave women who selflessly fought for the country. Whenever the courageous act of these brave women is mentioned, we are reminded of the valiant act of laxmibai, the Rani of Jhansi. She fought with the British Raj with all her might till her last breath.

like her, there were many brave women warriors born on Indian soil who preferred sword over bangles. They were living examples of how a tender creation of God could take the form of Goddess Durga and Goddess Kali when it came to fighting against injustice.

One such jewel in the crown of India was Rani Gaidinliu, who is often called the ‘Rani laxmibai of Nagaland.’ While not many in the country would be familiar with her name, once people come to know the story of her great valour, not many would easily forget her name.

Rani Gaidilniu was born on January 26, 1915 in Manipur. Even as a child, her thoughts were independent. At an age when most children like d to play with friends, Rani Gaidinliu was inspired by the nationalists fighting for the country’s independence and contacted them for an association. She came in close contact with Naga nationalist leader Jadonag at the early age of 13. Jadognag was a leading revolutionary of North East who was leading the movement to drive away Britishers from Manipur. Unfortunately before he could succeed in his mission, he was captured and hanged by the Britishers.

After Jadonag, responsibility of the freedom movement came upon the young shoulders of Rani Gaidinliu. Taking cue from Mahatma Gandhi’s movement, she gave a call to stop paying taxes to the British government. She took steps to unite the various factions of Naga leaders and formed a united front against the Britishers. Her impressive personality and fearless approach won her many associates and followers. For the tribal, she was like a powerful Goddess. 

There was bitterness among the masses over hanging of Jadonag. She tried to channelise this anger to rally the tribal against the Britishers. The 16-year-old young girl had the support of only  4,000 armed Naga soldiers. With them, she took on the might of the Britishers. She was an expert at Guerrilla warfare and also had great skills with arms. The Britishers considered her a deadly fighter. But, for the common masses, she was a saviour.

To suppress the movement of Rani Gaidinliu, the British government razed several villages to ashes. But even this brutal act could not deter the people’s spirit for independence. One day, the armed Nagas led by Rani Gaidinliu attacked an outpost of Assam Rifles. She kept on targeting the Government forces at different places. She had made up her mind to ultimately build a forte, where all the 4,000 Naga fighters could stay together. But while she was on her mission to route-out the British Raj, the British Army suddenly launched an attack on her on April 17, 1932 in which she was arrested. She was tried at court, sentenced and put in prison. Gaidinliu spent 14 years in jail.

In 1937, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visited Assam and got to know about the bravery of Gaidinliu. He was so impressed that gave her the title of ‘Rani.’ Nehru tried his best to get her released from jail, but did not succeed. In fact the British were scared to release her from the jail. They considered Gaidinliu as the biggest threat to their rule.

In 1947, when the country became Independent from the British rule, Rani Gaidinliu was finally released from the prison. However, due to fierce rivalry between the various Naga tribal leaders, she had to go underground with her supporters again in 1960.

She was honoured by the Prime Minister for her brave contribution to the freedom struggle. She was also awarded the Padma Bhushan. After scripting a unique story of immense bravery, Rani Gaidinliu breathed her last on February 17, 1993, bringing to an end a glorious chapter of India’s freedom struggle.

Her story of struggle and valour is a source of inspiration to men and women equally. The great persona of Rani Gaidinliu continue to inspire generations of Indians and make us proud of our valiant past.