Aruna Asaf Ali

July 18, 2023

Aruna Asaf Ali was an Indian independence activist and a prominent figure in the Indian National Congress.
She was born on July 16, 1909, in Kalka, Haryana.
The event that catapulted her into the national spotlight was her participation in the Salt Satyagraha (Salt March) led by Mahatma Gandhi in 1930.
She is known for hoisting the Indian flag at Gowalia Tank Maidan in Mumbai during Quit India Movement in 1942.
She is popularly known as ‘Grand Old Lady’ of Independence Movement.
Post-independence, she worked towards upliftment of women status by encouraging women education.
She also started a weekly journal ‘Weekly’ and newspaper ‘Patriot’.
She also served as the mayor of Delhi from 1958 to 1964.
She was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, posthumously in 1997.