India’s Warrior Queens Inspired Long Before West Imagined Women as Warriors: RSS Leader

GG News Bureau
Lucknow, 25th Nov. RSS joint general secretary Alok Kumar on Sunday lauded the 18th-century Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar during a programme marking her tricentenary celebrations. Speaking at the event, Kumar highlighted Holkar’s remarkable leadership, calling her “a skilled strategist” and “valiant warrior.” He praised her efforts to challenge the practice of Sati and emphasized her contributions to social welfare, including setting up the saree industry in Maheshwar and providing employment for soldiers’ widows.

“At a time when the West couldn’t even imagine such feats, India had great warrior women like Ahilyabai, Rani Lakshmibai, and Rani Durgavati,” Kumar stated, drawing attention to their resilience and valor. He further acknowledged Holkar’s establishment of a pension scheme for fallen soldiers and her innovative development of irrigation resources.

Mala Thakur, national secretary of the Lokmata Ahilyabai Holkar Trishatabdi Samaroh Samiti (LAHTSS), commended the queen’s commitment to social equality, noting that she ate with people from all walks of life, breaking caste barriers and fostering unity. Uday Raje Holkar, a descendant of Ahilyabai, emphasized the queen’s influence beyond Maheshwar, noting her work across India.

The year-long celebrations in honor of Holkar will include several events across the Avadh region, as announced by Mahant Baidehi Ballabh Sharan Maharaj, patron of LAHTSS. Holkar, who ruled Indore after the deaths of her husband, father-in-law, and son, is remembered for her legacy of leadership and social harmony. She passed away on August 13, 1795.