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Kameshwari Devi was a freedom fighter and the fountainhead of anti-colonial activities in Benipatti Village (Behta) of the Madhubani District in Bihar. She fought the British colonial power along with her husband late Shri Yaduvir Jha.

Kameshwari Devi was also directly involved in breaking down the colonial telegraph lines, which disrupted the communication network of the British. She was also responsible for inspiring and gathering people to replicate the same strategy of disrupting the British colonial telegraph wires. Her freedom-fighting stories spread like wildfire, and the success of her endeavours forced the Britishers to issue a shoot-at-sight notice against her and her husband.

The Britishers even burnt down her house during the Quit India Struggle of 1942. This forced Kameshwari Devi to operate covertly for a period of about four years between 1942 and 1946 from the bordering district of Jaleshwar in Nepal. She did this while nursing three young kids, one of whom was still an infant.

Kameshwari Devi passed away in December 2008. Her house in Benipatti continues to celebrate and commemorate her and her husband’s contributions to the independence struggle. Every Independence Day, the Indian National Flag is hoisted at her residence as a token of respect towards all Indian freedom fighters. May her life be a source of relentless inspiration for everyone!

Source: Jha Akshay Amarendra, great-grandson of the late Shrimati Kameshwari Devi.