Born in Kobe, Japan, and forged in the fires of India’s freedom struggle, Lt Asha Sahay — a lieutenant of the legendary Rani of Jhansi Regiment in Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army (INA) — passed away in Patna’s Sri Krishna Puri locality. She was 97.
At 97, she was a living bridge to one of the most stirring chapters of World War II history—a warrior of the Rani Jhansi Regiment, the all-female combat unit of the Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army). Her life was not merely a page in the story of Indian independence movement but a blazing testament to the courage, sacrifice, and unyielding spirit that drove our nation’s fight for freedom.
Lt. Sahay’s journey was one of defiance and inspiration. As part of the Rani Jhansi Regiment, led by the indomitable Captain Lakshmi Sahgal, she and many young women like her shattered the chains of gender, caste, and religious divides, standing tall as a symbol of Indian women’s strength in the battle against colonial oppression.
Asha’ Sahay Choudhry was born in Kobe, Japan, in 1928 and joined the Rani of Jhansi Regiment of the Indian National Army at the age of seventeen. Her father, Anand Mohan Sahay, was a minister in the cabinet of the Azad Hind Government and a political adviser to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
