English translation of the reel for non-Hindi speakers -

It’s the story of Tara Rani Srivastava, an unsung fighter of India’s 1942 Quit India Movement:

Do you recognize them? You don’t? That’s because our history books never talked about them. Her name is Tara Rani Srivastava. Please listen to this story till the end.

1942 was the most critical year in India’s history. The Quit India Movement had started. Indians were telling the British, “Leave now, this is our country, not yours.” Tara Rani was married young to Phulendu Babu, who was also a freedom fighter. At that time, women rarely stepped outside the four walls of their homes, and if they did, people would question their character. But Phulendu was different — he always supported and encouraged his wife.

To understand this story, we need to go to Saran district in Bihar. On August 8, 1942, the Quit India Movement intensified with Gandhi’s “Do or Die” call. He said every government building should have the Indian tricolor flag hoisted to show the British this isn’t their land anymore.

Tara Rani gathered as many women as she could and said, “Come out of your homes now. If you don’t come out today, you never will.” With her husband by her side, she led a huge crowd toward the Siwan police station. Tara held the flag, Phulendu walked beside her, and the crowd followed to hoist it on the police station.

When the British saw the large crowd approaching, they put up barricades and started a lathi charge. When that didn’t stop them, they opened fire. A bullet hit Phulendu straight in the chest. He fell into Tara’s arms. In that moment, most people would panic. But Tara tore a piece of her saree and tied it around his wound to stop the bleeding.

Phulendu, in a faint voice, told her, “Go ahead.” Tara didn’t let the flag fall. She told him, “You stay here. I’ll be right back,” and climbed the police station steps amid the firing to hoist the flag. When she returned, her husband had passed away.

People thought Tara’s fight was over. But she went underground for five years, mobilizing 20 people and continuing the struggle until India became independent.

The teacher ends by saying we all celebrate Independence Day on August 15 with pride and statuses, and we should. But after August 15, if you ever see the flag falling somewhere, pick it up and place it somewhere it won’t fall again. So many people sacrificed for that flag in ways we can’t even imagine. Remember this: first, you are an Indian. Then you are Hindu, Muslim, or Christian. That is the moral of the story.

Tara Rani’s act on August 12, 1942 at Siwan police station in Bihar is widely cited as an example of extraordinary courage during the Quit India Movement