"My Blessings to the students and to the labourers whom I served to the best of my capacity" Behan Satyawati (1907-1945).

Shrimati Satyawati was a rare woman in India's struggle for freedom. Her contribution, suffering and sacrifices are matched only by a few. She was born on 26th January, 1907 in Ludhiana. Her maternal grandfather Mahatma Munshi Ram, now known as Swami Sharddhanand was a renowned social reformer. She got married at the age of sixteen to Shri Balbhadra Vidyalankar. She came into the limelight when she plunged headlong into political activity during the Civil Disobedience Movement at a time when she was a mother of two children; a six year old son and a four year old daughter. She addressed meetings, led processions, preached Swadeshi and boycott of foreign cloth.

She also set up 'Congress Mahila Samaj' and 'Congress Desh Sewika Association' in which countless women from Delhi, with patriotic aspirations joined. Thus, Satyawati, virtually opened a new 'Women's Wing' to fight against the inequities and excesses of the foreign rulers. Inspired by her selfless service and sacrifice, several women leaders like Aruna Asaf Ali entered the political arena.

In 1934, she became a founder member of the Congress Socialist Forum and worked shoulder to shoulder with Acharya Narendra Dev, Jaiprakash Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia and Jawaharlal Nehru. She took part in the Individual Satyagraha of 1940 and was sentenced to one year imprisonment. She influenced the student community in taking a leading part in the 1942 Quit India Movement for which not only she but also her son Krishna Kumar and her daughter Kusum, mother Ved Kumari ji and sister Kaushalya were taken into custody. While in detention in Lahore jail she managed to hoist the National Flag over the jail building.

That she had all along been ever quick in her response to the call for freedom struggle, was evident in the nick name "Toofani Behan Satyawati" she had earned from none other than Mahatma Gandhi himself.