As a woman participating in the Civil Disobedience Movement, this experience transformed my life in profound ways. When Gandhiji started his famous salt march, thousands of women like me came out of our homes to listen to him. We felt inspired by his call and joined the movement with great enthusiasm.

I actively participated in protest marches and even manufactured salt by boiling sea water, defying the British law. Along with other women, I picked foreign cloth and liquor shops as part of the protest. Many of my fellow women protesters were even sent to jail for their participation. In urban areas, women like me came from high-caste families, while in rural areas, women from rich peasant households joined the movement.

Moved by Gandhiji's call, we began to see service to the nation as a sacred duty of women. For the first time, we stepped out of our traditional roles and took part in public activities. This gave us a sense of purpose and contribution to the freedom struggle.

However, this experience also had its limitations. Our increased public role did not bring any radical change in how society viewed women's position. Gandhiji believed that it was women's duty to look after home and hearth and be good mothers and good wives. The Congress was reluctant to allow women to hold any position of authority within the organisation and was keen only on our symbolic presence.

Despite these limitations, participating in the movement gave me a new identity and the courage to stand for my country.