uday
January 23rd, 2004, 07:13 PM
By Bibhuti Mishra Once she was a member of the women's wing of INA (Indian National Army) led by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Today she is fighting for a square meal a day by working as a maid-servant. Meet Laxmi Indira Panda (76) whose sad plight and life of drudgery was brought to light by a local paper.
Born in a poor migrant family in Burma, Laxmi had lost her parents during British bombing. Thereafter she joined the Rani Jhansi wing of INA following Netaji's call and got training meant for the under 16 recruits. She was with the INA for three years till 1945 when the INA camps were closed. During her INA days she actively participated in Indian freedom movement and travelled from Burma to Singapore and Malaysia etc. But soon after coming back to Orissa after the closure of INA camps she had to face misery as her husband died just six years later in 1951.
Since then she has been fighting to be recognised as a freedom fighter and get the pension and benefits meant for them. "I have given up. I tried to get the freedom fighter pension. But after three decades of knocking at every door I want to forget that I was once with INA. The politicians and the officials are enjoying the fruits of our labour and I am running from pillar to post trying to find two square meals a day for myself and my family" she has said in frustration.
The state government has granted her political pension worth Rs 700 per month; but she gets Rs.400 as the rest is dedudcted towrds loan taken by her. As a maid servant she earns Rs 300. And with this meagre earnings the Rani Jhansi regiment soldier is fighting a battle of another kind - the fight for survival while the society and the country has long forgotten her exploits as a freedom fighter.
http://headlines.sify.com/2859news5.html?headline=Once~Netaji's~soldier,~a~m aid-servant~today~
Born in a poor migrant family in Burma, Laxmi had lost her parents during British bombing. Thereafter she joined the Rani Jhansi wing of INA following Netaji's call and got training meant for the under 16 recruits. She was with the INA for three years till 1945 when the INA camps were closed. During her INA days she actively participated in Indian freedom movement and travelled from Burma to Singapore and Malaysia etc. But soon after coming back to Orissa after the closure of INA camps she had to face misery as her husband died just six years later in 1951.
Since then she has been fighting to be recognised as a freedom fighter and get the pension and benefits meant for them. "I have given up. I tried to get the freedom fighter pension. But after three decades of knocking at every door I want to forget that I was once with INA. The politicians and the officials are enjoying the fruits of our labour and I am running from pillar to post trying to find two square meals a day for myself and my family" she has said in frustration.
The state government has granted her political pension worth Rs 700 per month; but she gets Rs.400 as the rest is dedudcted towrds loan taken by her. As a maid servant she earns Rs 300. And with this meagre earnings the Rani Jhansi regiment soldier is fighting a battle of another kind - the fight for survival while the society and the country has long forgotten her exploits as a freedom fighter.
http://headlines.sify.com/2859news5.html?headline=Once~Netaji's~soldier,~a~m aid-servant~today~