[2] Her father Upendranath Ganguly hailed from Barisal district of Eastern Bengal (now Bangladesh) but settled in the United Province.

[3] Another brother, Nagendranath, was a university professor who married Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath Tagore's only surviving daughter Mira Devi.

My paternal uncle Nagendranath Ganguly, a university professor who regarded himself as my guardian, said to relatives and friends that as far as he was concerned I was dead and he had performed my shraddh.

She became a member of Indian National Congress after marrying Asaf Ali and participated in public processions during the Salt Satyagraha.

The government responded by arresting the major leaders and all members of the Congress Working Committee and thus tried to pre-empt the movement from success.

Young Aruna Asaf Ali presided over the remainder of the session on 9 August and hoisted the Congress flag at the Gowalia Tank Maidan.

Despite the absence of direct leadership, spontaneous protests and demonstrations were held all over the country, as an expression of the desire of India's youth to achieve independence.

Leaders such as Jayaprakash Narayan and Aruna Asaf Ali were described as "the Political children of Gandhi but recent students of Karl Marx."

[citation needed] She fell ill and was for a period hiding in Dr Joshi's Hospital in Karol Bagh in Delhi.

Mahatma Gandhi sent her a hand-written note to her to come out of hiding and surrender herself – as her mission was accomplished and as she could utilize the reward amount for the Harijan cause.

The publications became prestigious due to the patronage of leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Krishna Menon and Biju Patnaik.

All India Minorities Front distributes the Dr Aruna Asaf Ali Sadbhawana Award annually.