Early Life
Sahgal was born Lakshmi Swaminathan in Madras (now known as Chennai) on October 24, 1914 to S. Swaminathan, a lawyer who practiced criminal law at Madras High Court and A.V. Ammukutty, better known as Ammu Swaminathan, a social worker and independence activist from the prominent Vadakkath family of Anakkara in Palghat, Kerala.
Sahgal chose to study medicine and received an MBBS degree from Madras Medical College in 1938. A year later, she received her diploma in gynaecology and obstetrics. She worked as a doctor in the Government Kasturba Gandhi Hospital located at Triplicane Chennai.
In 1940, she left for Singapore after the failure of her marriage with pilot P.K.N. Rao. During her stay at Singapore, she met the members of Netaji’s Indian National Army. she established a clinic for the poor, most of whom were migrant laborers from India. It was at this time that she began to play an active role in the India Independence League.
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