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Subhadra Mahatab was the wife of Dr Harekrushna Mahatab, the ex-Chief Minister of Odisha who was also a freedom fighter. On the path of his fight for the independence of the country and other political, social and constructive activities she was his suitable partner who was with him throughout his career. She was born in 1900 in village Handibhanga in Kendrapara district to Anand Ram Singh whose education was restricted to her village primary school due to the social restriction on middle class women imposed in those days. But the lack of higher education never deterred her in attaining an intellectual mind and exposure for his association with Harekrushna Mahtab. Though after her marriage she realized that for her husband the country and nation was more important than her, she happily reciprocated him on his path of struggle and service to the nation. Her actual involvement in the freedom struggle started when her husband was imprisoned for participating in the Salt Satyagraha in Balasore in 1930. After his imprisonment Subhadra Devi also very ly violated the salt law by joining with the satyagrahis and was arrested. On her arrest Mahtab was delighted and felt very proud of her. Hereafter Subhadra Devi associated herself in each and every step of her husband’s life. After the failure of the second Round Table Conference, the repression of the British government intensified to keep in check the civil disobedience movement. Congress was banned and its workers were beaten up mercilessly and arrested. Many prominent leaders including Mahtab were again arrested and lodged in Hazaribagh jail. But Subhadra worked tirelessly in Balasore to spread the message of Gandhi and Congress. Everyday she walked nearly twenty miles from door to door in remote villages to arouse the rural women and to secure their participation in the movement for boycotting foreign products, discarding intoxication and removal of untouchability. This led to her arrest and she was also sent to Hazaribagh jail where her husband was lodged. After her release along with her husband, both of them came to their village Agarpara, where they set up a ‘ Karma Mandir’ to train the satyagrahis the art of charkha and to lead them in their campaign of mass contact programme urged by Gandhi to bring the Harijans into the mainstream of life. During Gandhi’s foot march in Odisha in 1934, he was satisfied by Subhadra’s spinning art. She also donated all her ornaments to Gandhi’s Harijan Welfare fund. By that time she had become such an icon in the entire Balasore district that the women of the district ly responded to her call to join her activities. After India’s independence when Mahtab became the chief Minister of Odisha and thereafter the governor of Bombay province, Subhadra Devi was involved in many social activities with him. She was also elected to Odisha Legislative Assembly once. She passed away on 11 September 1978.