Lakshmi Sahgal (or Sehgal) nèe Swaminathan, also known as Captain Lakshmi. (Malayalam: ലക്ഷമി സൈഗാള്‍; Tamil:லக்ஷ்மி சேகள்) (born October 24, 1914 in Madras) is an activist of the Indian independence movement, an ex-officer of the Indian National Army, and the Minister of Women's affairs in the Azad Hind Government. A doctor by profession, Captain Lakshmi came into the limelight in India towards the end of World War II for her role as the commander of theRani of Jhansi Regiment of the INA and her role as a minister in Subhas Bose's Azad Hind government. She later became involved in politics in independent India, serving as a member of parliament in the Upper House and later running for President as a left wing candidate. Lt Col Swaminathan is commonly referred to as Captain Lakshmi in India, referring to her rank at the time of being taken prisoner in Burma, as widely reported in Indian newspapers at the end of the war and which captured the public imagination, as opposed to her not widely known promotion in the last days of Azad Hind