The Founding Mothers: 15 Women Architects of the Indian Constitution

 THE FOUNDING MOTHERS: 15 Women Architects of the Indian Constitution

2016

A Book 

by Sr Mary Scaria and Shalu Nigam 

Media House Delhi 

In 2016, when we began the task of collecting material on the Founding Mothers of India—women who played pivotal roles in the country’s freedom struggle—we were met with a troubling silence in digital spaces. Information was sparse, fragmented, and often buried beneath layers of male-centric historical narratives. It quickly became clear that these women, despite their immense sacrifices and contributions, had been largely overlooked by mainstream historical discourse.

This erasure raises a deeply unsettling question: Why have these remarkable women been ignored when they stood shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts in the fight for independence? They organized protests, led movements, endured imprisonment, and gave voice to the voiceless—yet their stories remain absent from our collective memory.

Even more troubling is the fact that educational institutions—schools, colleges, and even law schools—rarely include them in their curricula. History textbooks offer only passing references, if any, and students grow up learning about a selective and incomplete version of the freedom struggle. The absence of these narratives not only does a disservice to the legacy of these women but also deprives future generations of diverse role models who embody courage, resilience, and leadership.

It is disheartening to witness this historical neglect. Recognizing and honoring the Founding Mothers is not merely a matter of academic interest—it is a necessary step toward a more inclusive and truthful retelling of our past. Their stories deserve to be told, studied, and celebrated with the same reverence afforded to their male counterparts. Only then can we begin to repair the gaps in our national memory and truly understand the richness of our freedom struggle.

When the mainstream discourse has forgotten the women who played a significant role in the making of the Indian Constitution, this book was the first of its kind to put together brief profiles of those 15 women who drafted the Constitution. These women include 

Ammu Swaminathan

Annie Mascarene.

Begum Aizaz Rasul

Dakshayani Velayudhan

Durgabai Deshmukh.

Hansa Mehta

Kamala Chaudhri

Leela Roy

Malati Devi Choudhury

Purnima Banerjee

Rajkumari Amrit Kaur

Renuka Ray

Sarojini Naidu

Sucheta Kripalani.

Vijayalakshmi Pandit.

These women played a significant role in the freedom struggle. Many have dedicated their lives despite facing misogyny. They left a long-lasting legacy. They were an inspiration for future generations of women.  

Though one of the critiques being raised is that many of them are from the elite classes, they played a pivotal role in crafting women's rights as equal citizens. When a section of the orthodox nationalists sees women as mothers, wives, and daughters, it is the progressive discourse that demands women's equal rights.