11 Facts About Lakshmi Sahgal

Lakshmi Sahgal studied in Queen Mary's College and later chose to study medicine and received an MBBS degree from Madras Medical College in 1938.

Lakshmi Sahgal worked as a doctor in the Government Kasturba Gandhi Hospital located at Triplicane Chennai.

In 1942, during the surrender of Singapore by the British to the Japanese, Lakshmi Sahgal aided wounded prisoners of war, many of whom were interested in forming an Indian independence army.

Women responded enthusiastically to join the all-women brigade and Dr Lakshmi Sahgal Swaminathan became Captain Lakshmi Sahgal, a name and identity that would stay with her for life.

Captain Lakshmi Sahgal was the Minister in Charge of Women's Organization in the Provisional Government of Free India led by Subash Chandra Bose in Singapore.

In 1971, Lakshmi Sahgal joined the Communist Party of India.

Lakshmi Sahgal was one of the founding members of All India Democratic Women's Association in 1981 and led many of its activities and campaigns.

Lakshmi Sahgal led a medical team to Bhopal after the gas tragedy in December 1984, worked towards restoring peace in Kanpur following the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 and was arrested for her participation in a campaign against the Miss World competition in Bangalore in 1996.

Lakshmi Sahgal was still seeing patients regularly at her clinic in Kanpur in 2006, at the age of 92.

On 19 July 2012, Lakshmi Sahgal had a cardiac arrest and died on 23 July 2012 at 11:20 AM at the age of 97 at Kanpur.

Lakshmi Sahgal's body was donated to Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College for medical research.