Women Who Wrote The Constitution (sequence as followed in the story R to L), credits: Wikimedia Commons and ConstitutionOfIndia.net
The Constituent Assembly first met in New Delhi on December 9, 1946, and held its last session on November 26, 1949, Dr BR Ambedkar presided as the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution. The assembly consisted of 299 members, of which 15 were women. These women came from different backgrounds and represented different walks of life, but they had one thing in common, they all endured patriarchy, and thus their contribution meant that the constitution in making would pave a better future for the women of this country.
Women Who Wrote the Indian Constitution
Ammu Swaminathan
She was born in an upper-caste Hindu family in Kerala and became a leading figure in India’s independence movement and an advocate for women’s rights. She co-founded the Women’s India Association in 1917.
Dakshayani Velayudhan
She was the first Dalit woman to graduate in India, was elected to the Constituent Assembly in 1946 and actively participated in debates about the rights of Scheduled Castes.
Begum Aizaz Rasul
She was the only Muslim woman in the Constituent Assembly. She served as Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly and was later elected to the Rajya Sabha and the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, making significant contributions to minority rights and education.
Durgabai Deshmukh
She was a freedom fighter who joined the Non-Cooperation and Salt Satyagraha movements at a young age. She founded the Andhra Mahila Sabha to empower women through education and welfare. A member of the Constituent Assembly, she proposed Hindustani as the national language and advocated for the establishment of family courts. Later, she became the first woman chair of the Planning Commission and played a pivotal role in enacting social welfare laws.
Hansa Mehta
She was a reformer, writer, and educator, and was born into a progressive family in Baroda. A freedom fighter aligned with Gandhi’s principles, she served in the Bombay Legislative Assembly and worked tirelessly for women’s rights. Hansa represented India at the United Nations and played a significant role in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Kamla Chaudhary
She defied convention to join the Civil Disobedience Movement. Elected to the Constituent Assembly from Uttar Pradesh in 1946, she later served in the Provisional Parliament and the Lok Sabha.
Leela Roy
An editor of Jayashree, India’s first women-run magazine, she actively participated in the independence movement and worked for the upliftment of women. She was also a close associate of Subhas Chandra Bose.
Malati Choudhury
She joined the Indian National Congress during the Salt Satyagraha and worked alongside her husband to educate rural communities. A tireless advocate for social reform, Choudhury’s efforts in mobilizing grassroots movements were crucial during India’s struggle for independence.
Purnima Banerjee
She was a social and freedom fighter who was involved in the Satyagraha and Quit India movements. In the Constituent Assembly, she spoke for secular education and emphasized the sovereignty of people.
Rajkumari Amrit Kaur
She was India’s first health minister and advocated for the Uniform Civil Code and universal franchise in the Constituent Assembly. She also played a key role in establishing AIIMS and the Indian Council of Child Welfare.
Renuka Ray
She authored a landmark document on women’s legal disabilities. She was a member of the Constituent Assembly, later serving as West Bengal’s Minister for Relief and Rehabilitation and as a Lok Sabha MP.
Known as the Nightingale of India, Sarojini Naidu was a poet, freedom fighter, and the first Indian woman to preside over the Indian National Congress. She played a pivotal role in India’s independence movement, advocating for women’s rights and social reforms. As a member of the Constituent Assembly, she was a vocal supporter of secularism and universal suffrage, leaving an indelible mark on India’s history.
Sucheta Kriplani
She helped draft the Indian Constitution and played a key role in the Quit India Movement of 1942. She also sang Vande Mataram in the Independence Session before Pandit Nehru’s “Tryst With Destiny” speech.
Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s sister was the first woman cabinet minister in pre-independent India who held the post of Minister for Local Self-Government and Public Health in 1937.
Annie Mascarene
She contributed to the drafting of the Constitution and worked on the Hindu Code Bill. In 1949, she became the first woman to serve as Minister of Health and Power in the Travancore-Cochin government.
