In 1942, Rangoon (now Yangon, Myanmar) was home to many prosperous Indian families. Among them was the Rajamani family—owners of a gold mine. Their daughter, Saraswati Rajamani, grew up surrounded by luxury: cars, silk gowns, and glittering jewels. Yet destiny had something far fiercer in store for her than a life of comfort.That year, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose arrived in Rangoon and roused the crowd with his electrifying call:
“Give me blood, and I will give you freedom.”Among those listening was sixteen-year-old Saraswati. Overcome by patriotic fire, she removed her jewelry and offered it all to the Indian National Army (INA). The next morning, Netaji himself came to return the ornaments, thinking she had acted on impulse. But the young girl’s reply stunned him:
“Netaji, I did not give them by mistake. They were my offering to my motherland.”Impressed by her courage, Netaji recruited her—not as a soldier, but as a spy. Her hair was cut short, she dressed like a boy, and she became known as Mani. Alongside her partner Durga, she joined the British military camp as a servant, secretly gathering critical intelligence. Hidden messages tucked inside bread or shoes made their way to the INA.The Night of FireOne day, Durga was captured by the British. When others advised escape, Rajamani refused. Under the cover of night, she infiltrated the heavily guarded prison disguised as a boy. After drugging the guards with opium-laced food, she freed Durga. During their escape, a bullet tore through Rajamani’s leg—but she kept running. The two girls hid atop a tree for three days, wounded and starving, until the search ended.When she finally returned to the INA camp, Netaji personally visited the injured teenager. Saluting her, he said,
“You are India’s first woman spy—my Rani of Jhansi.”He offered her his pistol, but she asked for nothing except India’s freedom.The Forgotten HeroineAfter independence, the brave girl who sacrificed her childhood and fortune was forgotten. Living in poverty in Chennai’s Royapettah, she received her freedom fighter’s pension only after years of struggle. Yet her generosity never faded—during the 2004 tsunami, she donated her savings for relief work, saying,
“Giving is in my blood. I gave once for my country’s freedom; now I give for her people.”In 2018, at age 91, Saraswati Rajamani passed away quietly—no headlines, no ceremonies. But her courage still echoes through the story of India’s independence. She was the girl who turned silk into gunpowder, privilege into patriotism.We owe our freedom, in part, to her unyielding spirit.
Remember her name—Saraswati Rajamani, the teenage spy who fought for India’s soul.
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