Leela Diraviam participated as a freedom fighter in underground work; passing messages and attending meetings shrouded in secrecy. She describes herself as a Gandhian.
She said, “On that day, there was no TV. We heard the speech in parliament, that India awakes to life and freedom (sic). As soon as he (Nehru) said that India is free we all ran out of Lady Willingdon College (where I was studying) and came all the way to government house at midnight. All the girls. Everyone was in the street. We were all so happy with the feeling of freedom. I cannot describe it. The whole nation rose as one, without leadership since the leaders were all in jail. It is a credit to the spiritual dimension of Mahatma Gandhi. From 1930 to 1942 he had shaped the minds of the people to want freedom and to crave freedom. It was so nice when the whole nation supported us. Of course the government servants, who worked for the British, couldn’t participate, but they never opposed us. Everyone silently supported us, no one betrayed us in the movement.”
Courtesy: Leela Diraviam
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