India’s fight for independence went beyond borders: An exhibition attempts to rewrite history from margins

Since 1995, Chhabra has been gathering oral testimonies, fragile letters, faded photographs, and rare revolutionary publications like ‘Bande Mataram’ and ‘Talvar’ by Madam Bhikaiji Cama. From the history of Mahendra Pratap’s establishment of the First Provisional Government of India in Kabul in 1915, to Shyamji Krishna Varma’s India House in London that provided a roof for all the nationalists to gather under — all the stories foil the notion that India’s independence was fought on home soil alone.

One of the exhibition’s most striking sections focuses on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army (INA) and its legendary Rani of Jhansi Regiment.

Mehrunissa (left), Perumal, INA. Photo Sagari Chhabra, Yangon, 2004, HIAFF (Express Photo)

Recruited largely in Malaysia (Malaya) and Singapore during World War II, these women underwent rigorous military training, shouldering rifles and marching in step with their male counterparts.

Through photographs collected and captured by Chhabra, the visitors are introduced to Gowri Sen, who reportedly signed a petition in blood when the regiment was disbanded; Rasammah Navaratnam, whose mother was firmly against her decision of joining the INA, but was later persuaded by Captain Lakshmi Sahgal, who was the commander of Rani of Jhansi regiment; and Yamuki, who escaped an unwanted marriage to “die for a cause”, yet was never granted recognition or pension by free India.

“Most of these women had never had a reunion, never received a pension. Recording their experiences became my life’s mission. It is a privilege, and an honour,” says Chhabra.

Inauguration of HIAFF. Flag hoisting by founder-director, Sagari Chhabra, chief guest, Dr Varsha Das, Mr K Shrivastava, director, IIC. (Express Photo)

The archive reaches far into Myanmar, where many INA veterans remain stateless to this day, denied citizenship by both India and Myanmar.

Photographs by Chhabra capture the faces of Lt Perumal with his wife Mehrunnisa, standing before the remnants of an INA office in Yangon.

Gandhinathan, Tokyo Cadet, Photo Sagari Chhabra, Kuala Lumpur 2004, HIAFF. (Express Photo)

The gallery has many more stories to tell — Tokyo Cadets trained for aerial warfare, one of them being Gandhinathan, who was photographed by Chhabra in Kuala Lumpur in 2004, the secret operatives in Malaysia, teenagers in the Balak Sena of Thailand, all getting trained through their youth to achieve a nation’s dream of freedom.

The exhibition also honours women who stitched their defiance into prison flags, who ferried messages for underground networks while raising children at home.

It tells stories of Gandhian activist Sushila Nayyar, who balanced her belief in non-violence with acts of resistance, and women prisoners who raised a Tricolour flag inside Lahore Women’s jail in 1942.

Running alongside the exhibition is the screening of Chhabra’s 45-minute-long documentary Asli Azaadi, released in 1997 and daily walk-through at 5.30 pm led by the curator herself. Her storytelling bridges the gap between the dust of the past and the pulse of the present.

For her, this is not just an act of remembrance but a rewriting of history from the margins.