Matangini Hazra, known affectionately as ‘Gandhi Buri,’ was a fearless freedom fighter and a devoted disciple of Mahatma Gandhi. She led a march in Tamluk, Bengal, against the British rule during the Quit India Movement in 1942, where nearly 6,000 people took part. Hazra kept marching, even after being shot three times by the British forces, carrying the national flag and chanting “Vande Mataram”. She would not give up, and she held the flag until she died. For her outstanding courage and sacrifice she became an immortal symbol of the Indian freedom struggle. Her legacy still exists in the form of the memorials and statues sprinkled all over West Bengal.
