Unsung Hero

Saraswati Rajamani’s family is from Trichy, Tamilnadu. Her father was involved in the Indian freedom movement. The British were looking for him. In order to escape from the British, he ran away to Burma with his wife.

Saraswati and her sister were born in Burma. Her father started a business and it flourished very well. He became one of the richest person in Burma.

In the meantime, Netaji Subash Chandra Bose organized the Indian National Army and started to fight the British. He came to Burma and spoke in a meeting. He mesmerized the audience with his narration of the sufferings of Indians and his plans to drive the British out of India. Young Saraswati was moved by his speech. Since she was a very rich girl, she had diamond jewelries from head to toe. She removed all the diamonds and gave to Netaji to be used by the Indian National Army.

Saraswati joined the Indian National Army and rose to the rank of Captain in the INA’s Burma regiment. She became chief of the espionage operations for the INA.

Saraswati and her family lost all the money for the cause of India’s independence. While rescuing some INA soldiers during a bombing raid, 3 bullets went into her right leg. The doctors removed these 3 bullets. Since then she is unable to walk properly.

After independence, she came back to India and settled in Chennai. During the struggle for independence, there was acute shortage of clothes. So, Saraswati knows the importance of clothes. Even at this old age, she goes to tailor shops and collects fabrics that are rejected by them. She makes clothes from them and donates to orphanages.

She gets a meager pension as a freedom fighter. During the tsunami time, she donated her one month pension and lived by drinking tea only for a month.

She is a real unsung hero.