It’s 1857. A single figure stands at the helm of one of the most memorable battles in India’s nascent independence movement. Donning men’s attire, as she so often did, Rani Lakshmi Bai, or Queen Lakshmi of the Jhansi state, charges into battle with a co-ed military behind her, countrymen and countrywomen standing tall as the British charge forward simultaneously. Her toddler strapped to her back, Lakshmi roars a battle cry and, a sword in each hand, cuts through her adversaries with the agility of a tiger (“Here’s the”). She will be remembered for her love of country, strength in battle, loyalty to family, and, most of all, the things she accomplished. 

At birth, Queen Lakshmi was named Manikarnika Tambe—only after her marriage was she given the moniker she has so often been referred to since. Her mother died when she was four, and her father raised her in court in a then-unconventional style for a girl by educating her. Beyond an academic education, her father also taught her skills such as horseback riding and fencing, both of which would come in useful in the future. Upon her marriage to King Gangadhar Rao, Manikarnika Tambe was renamed Rani Lakshmi Bai. Unfortunately, her son died at four months old, so the royal pair adopted another son, Damodar Rao, to continue the line of succession. This was crucial, because according to the British colonizers’ Doctrine of Lapse, Britain could essentially take over any state that didn’t have a biological heir to the throne. And speaking of takeovers, Lakshmi was furious that her native Jhansi was being encroached upon by foreigners, and, wishing to protect her land, she pleaded her case through a series of letters to a British Officer. When the British demanded that Lakshmi leave Jhansi in 1857, her fury erupted, and with it the Revolt of 1857.

During the revolt, multiple fierce battles ensued, many of which greatly impacted the First War for Independence (“The Jhansi”). In the heat of battle, Lakshmi realized she wouldn't make it out alive and intentionally stepped into a fire, burning herself alive so as not to be taken captive by the British. Or goes so one popular version of her death. Though there are many versions of how she died, all include self-sacrifice. Unfortunately, Jhansi was conquered by the British, but Lakshmi's fight had started something that could not be un-started: she ignited a movement. Her revolt was one of the first examples of Indian rebellion against British rule. Inspired by her rhetoric and patriotism, other kingdoms and territories were convinced to join the fight.

Perhaps even more interestingly from a modern perspective, Lakshmi’s ferocity is remembered because she played such an outsized role in the fight against the oppression of women during the 19th century. At the time, Indian women were trained to be good wives, their lives owned by their husbands, without whom they were considered worthless (Giret-turro). In fact, the practice of Sati, or burning a widow alive with her husband after his death, only ended when it was outlawed by the British in 1850 (Jain). After she was widowed, Lakshmi ruled in the name of her adopted son and held the throne as a female ruler, demonstrating just how much value a solitary widow might possess. Even in Britain, upper-class women weren’t expected to leave their homes at all, relegated to housework and avoiding the public eye (“Women in”). Lakhsmi defied the norm by ruling like any capable male monarch. What's more, rather than secluding herself in the luxuries of royal life, she engaged with the public and worked to meet the needs of civilians, even wading into remote regions of Jhansi to meet her people.

In this way, Lakshmi was a portent of things to come, an early spearhead in a much larger battle than most 19th-century onlookers gave her credit for: the battle for female equality. Much of that inequality is still physical, ultimately coming down to a question of force: “As women have started competing with men in areas that men had historically excluded them from, some men have retreated into this world where physical size and strength matters even more, because it’s the one area where they continue to hold advantage over women” Jackson Katz, the president of MVP Strategies, a gender violence prevention company, told BBC (Nuwer). Not only did Lakshmi prove her courage through battle, but she was also a brilliant, educated, kind, caring,  and consummate leader in every regard.

In recognition of this multifarious talent, poet Subhadra Kumari Chauhan once wrote, “Oh Rani Laxmibai, India will remember you forever, Blessed Rani, Your life's sacrifice awakens an Eternal freedom in the soul of India's people, History may forget, Jhansi may be destroyed, But your name Rani, Queen of Jhansi, will be an eternal memorial of courage.” (Chauhan)

Indeed, history has not forgotten her. Nor did her opponents overlook her talents. "British Officer Hugh Rose described her as 'remarkable for her bravery, cleverness, and perseverance.' He also said that “her generosity to her subordinates was unbounded. These qualities, combined with her rank, rendered her the most dangerous of all the rebel leaders” (Staff). During the First War of Independence, Lakshmi was not the only female ruler. However, she is often celebrated as the most significant given her rare blend of qualities, particularly those summarized by Rose.

Her rallying cry, “I shall not surrender my Jhansi!” echoes in the hearts of Indians till date. India remembers this dynamic leader in bedtime stories, history textbooks and art: A courageous woman on the back of a horse, her son strapped to her back, two swords in hand, fighting for family, for her princely state, for her dignity, and for independence.