Mata Khivi: the woman who sustained the Guru’s langar
Mata Khivi organised the community kitchen at Khadur Sahib; her service is remembered in Sikh scripture and later histories.
Khadur Sahib, Punjab
People · A guide to the archive
Women in history
Read women’s work across religious institutions, political leadership, literature, music, rights work and sport.
How to approach this subject
Begin with the work a source allows us to see: organising, governing, writing, performing, advocacy or playing. These lives offer different ways into the archive, rather than a single experience that stands for every woman. Ask how recognition is recorded and which activities become harder to recover when sources focus on offices, households or public milestones.
An intentional selection
Begin with these entries
Maharani Jind Kaur: regency, separation and exile
Jind Kaur governed for the young Duleep Singh before British imprisonment and exile transformed the Lahore royal family.
Lahore, Nepal and Britain
Sada Kaur: the leader who helped Ranjit Singh take Lahore
Sada Kaur commanded the Kanhaiya confederacy, built a crucial alliance and later resisted the absorption of her own territories.
Batala and Lahore, Punjab
Amrita Pritam: a life in Punjabi literature
Meet the poet and novelist through a few documented works, a careful chronology and routes into her published writing.
Gujranwala; Delhi; Punjabi literature
Asma Jahangir: legal aid, women’s rights and resistance to military rule
The Lahore lawyer connected individual legal cases with independent rights organisations, professional leadership and United Nations work.
Lahore, Pakistan and international human rights institutions
Surinder Kaur: Punjabi song from Lahore Radio to the concert stage
Surinder Kaur brought folk repertoire and modern Punjabi poetry to recordings, cinema and audiences far beyond a household gathering.
Lahore, Delhi, Bombay and international stages
Harmanpreet Kaur: from Moga to India’s cricket captaincy
The Moga-born cricketer’s career spans international batting, overseas leagues, Mumbai Indians and India’s growing women’s game.
Moga, Punjab and international cricket