Aruna Asaf Ali Biography: Age, Height, Career, Family, Personal Life, Movements

Aruna Asaf Ali Biography: Aruna Asaf Ali was a prominent liberation fighter during the Quit India Movement. She is known as the ‘Grand Old Lady of Indian Independence’ due to her influence in the independence movement.

Early life of Asaf Ali Asaf Ali was born on 16 July 1909 in Kalka, Punjab (now part of the state of Haryana). Ambalika Devi and Upendranath Ganguly were her parents. Ambalika Devi was the daughter of Trailokyanath Sanyal, a prominent Brahmo Samaj leader.

Aruna’s education was concluded at the All Saints College in Nanital. While employed as a teacher at the Gokhale Memorial School in Calcutta, she would meet her future spouse, Asaf Ali. Asaf Ali was a member of the Indian National Congress, which was established on December 28, 1885. Despite opposition from their families, they wed, and she would become an active participant in the independence movement.

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Aruna Asaf Ali Biography

Name	Aruna Asaf Ali
Occupation	Activist,Publisher
Born	16 July 1909, Kalka, Punjab, India
Died	29 July 1996, New Delhi, India
Gender	Female

Aruna Asaf Ali and the Indian Freedom Fight

Aruna Asaf Ali participated in a number of nonviolent protests during the Salt Satyagraha. The colonial authorities promptly apprehended her for this crime.

Aruna Asaf Ali was not included in the 1931 Gandhi-Irwin Pact that assured the release of all those arrested during the Salt Satyagraha. Only a vigorous protest by other women freedom fighters and Mahatma Gandhi was instrumental in securing her release.

At the time of her release, she was not politically active, but by the end of 1942, she had joined the underground movement.

Aruna Asaf Ali and Indian Independence War

The Indian National Congress approved the Quit India resolution on August 8, 1942. In response, the colonial government detained the movement’s key leaders in an effort to prevent the movement from succeeding. Aruna Asaf Ali led the remaining party members in raising the Congress flag at Gowalia Tank Maidan, signaling the start of the Quit India Movement, despite the fact that many of the party’s leaders and employees were in jail.

The police opened fire on the crowd, but Aruna remained steadfast in the face of peril. As protests and demonstrations erupted throughout the country, the absence of senior leadership did little to stem the tide of nationalism.

A warrant for her arrest was issued, but she was able to evade capture. While in seclusion, she edited the Congress party publication Inquilab. She continued to urge the youth to fight for independence through active revolution rather than passive activism. The British offered a Rs. 5,000 reward for her capture. Even though Mahatma Gandhi urged her to surrender, stating that she had fulfilled her duty to the cause, she did not emerge from concealment until 1946, when the arrest warrant issued in her name was rescinded.

Aruna Asaf Ali Existence after Independence and Legacies

Aruna Asaf Ali was a member of the Congress Socialist Party, a Congress Party faction for socialist-leaning activists. She joined the Communist Party of India (CPI) after leaving the Congress Socialist Party. 1953’s passing of Asaf Ali was a personal catastrophe for her.

In 1954, Aruna Asaf Ali was instrumental in the formation of the National Federation of Indian Women. This was the CPI’s women’s branch. In 1956, following the death of Joseph Stalin and Nikita Khrushchev’s subsequent ascension to power, she left the CPI. Aruna Asaf Ali became the first mayor of Delhi in 1958.

Aruna Asaf Ali died in New Delhi on July 29, 1996, at the age of 87.

She received the Padma Vibhushan in 1992 and the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1997 for her contribution to the Indian independence struggle. The All India Minorities Front annually presents the Dr. Aruna Asaf Ali Sadbhawan Award in her name.

FAQs

Q 1. Who exactly was Aruna Asaf Ali?

Ans. Aruna Asaf Ali was recognized for her participation in the Quit India Movement. She had also taken part in numerous nonviolent protests during the Salt Satyagraha.

Q 2. Who was designated as the city’s first mayor?

Ans. Aruna Asaf Ali was the first elected Mayor of Delhi and was responsible for significant civic reforms when she was elected in 1958.