She recounts an incident of 1945 as if it was yesterday. Her mother, an active worker and member of the Congress, was in the Allahabad jail when the jailer who was also a doctor told her that her daughter was in Burma fighting the British along with Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

When her mother said that she was not surprised at that, Dr. McRoberts said that neither was he. " I taught her medicine at the Madras Medical College and I always knew that girl would do something like that one day. She had it in her."

Indeed she did---or does! Over 55 years after the incident Captain Laxmi Sehgal continues to live a life of fulfillment and service to others. At 87 she is a practicing doctor in Kanpur. A highly respected person, she is usually the star attraction at major seminars on Independence and after.

From medicine to taking up the gun in the Indian National Army, founded by Subhash Chandra Bose, and back to medicine has been one long and eventful journey for this tireless lady who challenged the mite of the British Empire.

" My first impression of Subhash Chandra Bose was of a strict disciplinarian. Someone who was focused and very determined."  What drew her to the INA was the complete and ahead-of-its -times approach to women. The INA had the world's first all women combat force that was not merely confined to nursing or other 'womanly' responsibilities. Laxmi Sehgal lived her life in the jungles with her comrades in arms.

Born in 1914 to a traditional Tamil family, Laxmi Sehgal studied medicine at the Madras Medical College and migrated to Singapore for a career as a doctor. But fate had other ideas. In 1941 the Japanese invaded Singapore and the British who ruled there surrendered. Over 90,000 Indians were taken prisoners of which half were Indians. It was these POWs who formed the bulk of the INA under Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose which went to war against the British.

One of the first contingents of INA was formed at Waterloo Street in Singapore and it was called the Rani Jhansi Regiment. Laxmi Sehgal was asked to lead it with Bose asking her to become the new Jhansi Ki Rani. And that's what she has proved to be all her life.

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