Swapna Kumbar , Bengaluru - The fight for independence took many forms, a secret radio signal crackling through the airwaves, a teenage spiritual leader rallying her people, a rebellion decades ahead of its time. In this third installment, we travel to five more states to meet the men and women who resisted colonial rule in their own extraordinary ways.

Maharashtra: Usha Mehta and the Secret Voice of Congress Radio

When the British clamped down on news and communication during the Quit India Movement of 1942, a 22-year-old college student named Usha Mehta refused to let the movement go silent. She helped set up and operate the underground Congress Radio, broadcasting messages from the Indian National Congress, updates on the movement, and calls to action all from secret, constantly shifting locations to evade British detection. The station ran for nearly three months before being tracked down, and Mehta was arrested and imprisoned. Her clandestine broadcasts kept the spirit of resistance alive at a time when the British had gone to extraordinary lengths to control the narrative.

Manipur / Nagaland: Rani Gaidinliu, the Teenage Spiritual Rebel

At just 13 years old, Rani Gaidinliu joined the Heraka movement, a spiritual and political resistance led by her cousin Haipou Jadonang against British rule in the Naga Hills. After Jadonang's execution, Gaidinliu — still only a teenager took up leadership of the movement herself, blending religious revival with anti-colonial resistance and inspiring local tribes to resist British authority. She was captured and imprisoned for over a decade, but continued to be a symbol of defiance throughout her incarceration. Jawaharlal Nehru later honored her with the title "Rani" (Queen) in recognition of her extraordinary courage and leadership from such a young age.

Odisha: Buxi Jagabandhu and the Paika Rebellion of 1817

Decades before the Revolt of 1857, Odisha saw one of India's earliest organized uprisings against British rule. Buxi Jagabandhu, a military commander of the Paika warrior class, led the Paika Rebellion of 1817 after the British dismantled traditional land rights and administrative structures that the Paikas had long depended on. The rebellion, though eventually suppressed, saw the Paikas briefly overrun British administrative centers in the region. Historians now regard it as one of the first major armed uprisings against colonial rule in India a precursor to the larger revolts that would follow forty years later.

Punjab: Kartar Singh Sarabha, the Ghadar Party's Young Martyr

Kartar Singh Sarabha was only a teenager when he emigrated to the United States and became deeply involved with Indian revolutionaries abroad, helping found the Ghadar Party in 1913 an organization dedicated to overthrowing British rule in India through armed revolution. He returned to India to help organize an uprising among Indian soldiers, printed and distributed revolutionary literature, and worked tirelessly to build support for the cause. Arrested by British authorities, Sarabha was executed in 1915 at just 19 years old. His youth, conviction, and sacrifice later inspired revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, who considered Sarabha one of his earliest heroes.

Tamil Nadu: Tiruppur Kumaran and the Flag That Never Fell

During a 1932 protest march in Tiruppur against British rule, police responded to the demonstrators with a violent lathi charge. Amid the chaos, a young freedom fighter named Kumaran held firmly onto the nationalist flag, refusing to let it touch the ground even as he was beaten. He succumbed to his injuries, but was found still clutching the flag an act of devotion that earned him the enduring title "Kodi Kaatha Kumaran," meaning "Kumaran who protected the flag." His sacrifice became a defining symbol of unwavering resolve in Tamil Nadu's freedom movement.