Born: 25th June 1908
Died: 1st December 1974
Smt Sucheta Kriplani was born Sucheta Mazumdar on 25th June 1908, in a Bengali family, Ambala. Sucheta did her academics at Indraprastha College and St.Stephen’s College, Delhi. After completing her education she started working as a lecturer at the BHU (Banaras Hindu University). In 1936, she married a socialist, Acharya Kriplani, and joined the Indian National Congress. Sucheta came into the Indian historical position during the Quit India Movement and worked closely with Shri Mahatma Gandhi during the partition (riots). In 1946, she also went to Noakhali along with Gandhi Ji. She was one of the handful of women who were elected to the Constituent Assembly. A subcommittee was handed over the task of laying down the charter for the constitution of India and Sucheta became a part of that subcommittee. At the Independence Session, Sucheta sang “Vande Mataram” which was on 15th August 1947 i.e. the Independence Day. After Independence, she was instrumental in politics in U.P. and was elected to Lok Sabha during 1952-1957. Sucheta also served as the Minister of State. In 1962, she got elected to the U.P Assembly. In 1963, she was the first woman who became the Chief Minister of U.P. and to hold the prestigious position. During her time, one of her biggest achievements was “the effective handling of the 62-day long strike by the state employees”. She retired from politics in 1971 and went into solitude. By the time her health began to fail and she conquered two heart attacks continuously. On 1st December 1974, she had a third cardiac attack and passed away. One of the two hospitals associated with New Delhi’s Lady Hardinge Medical College was renamed the Sucheta Kriplani Hospital, by the Government. On her Birth Anniversary, Swami Vivekanand Subharti University remembers the prominent personality and an illustrious politician who made an immense contribution to the fight for Independence.
