Independence Day 2025: Remembering India’s Unsung Heroes Of Freedom

Discover forgotten tales of courage, sacrifice, and resilience, from Uda Devi Pasi to Rezang La warriors, that shaped the nation’s freedom.

Independence Day 2025

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(By: Himanshu Rai)

As India wakes up to its 79th Independence Day today, the tricolour soars into the dawn air, every flutter of saffron, white, and green evoking a profound pride and gratitude. The atmosphere is charged with whispers of sacrifices, blood, sweat, and unspoken dreams; that gave life to our independence.

And yet, alongside the celebrated lives of Gandhi, Nehru, and Bose, there are hundreds of unsung heroes in the silent recesses of history whose bravery lies half-forgotten. Their tales, softly mentioned, are as much ours that we attained freedom as the wars we recall.

Uda Devi Pasi - The Sharpshooter of 1857

One Dalit woman from Lucknow, Uda Devi dressed up as a man for the 1857 Revolt, ascended a peepal tree, and fought alone and brought down more than 30 British soldiers before accepting martyrdom. Her rebellion was not only against colonialism, but against the social obstacles of those days.

Lakha Banjara - The Wandering Rebel

Lakha Banjara, the Rajasthan nomad trader, converted his caravans into lifelines of the revolution, smuggling weapons and messages past British noses. His creativity and patriotism demonstrate the way even the most mundane lives could lead to the extraordinary. 

Rezang La - The Frozen Warriors of 1962

On the snow-covered terrain of Ladakh, 120 men of the 13th Kumaon Regiment counterattacked thousands of Chinese soldiers during the Indo-China War. Under the leadership of Major Shaitan Singh, they fought to the last man, but only 14 of them survived. Their bravery saved Ladakh from further invasion, and their sacrifice is still imprinted in the soul of the nation.

Rani Gaidinliu - The 16-Year-Old Who Defied an Empire

Known as the 'Rani of the Nagas,' Gaidinliu led a spiritual and political rebellion against the British in the 1930s. Imprisoned for over a decade, she emerged with her spirit unbroken, a symbol of courage and resistance from India’s Northeast.

Himanshu Rai is Bestselling Author and Podcaster