Ahilya was born in Pune. She was the youngest of eight children in her family. Her family was engaged in Indian politics and supported radical social reforms. Her older brother, B.T. Ranadive, became the leader of the communist movement in India.

When she was only 20 years old, Ahilya organized her first demonstration in her school. In 1942 the British authorities detained Mahatma Gandhi, his wife and his secretary, Mahadev Desai, in the Aga Khan Palace in Pune. The news about Desai’s death was the very reason for Ahilya and her friends’ manifestation. During the manifestation, Ahilya was arrested and incarcerated for three months. It did not stop her from further political involvement. While imprisoned, she hung triranga, a three-color flag of independent India and simultaneously, the symbol of Indian opposition, in the prison yard.

For Ahilya, the struggle for independence was tightly connected with social inequality. At the time, not only was Mumbai the center of the independence movement, but it was also the center of trade unions. Ahilya was 21 years old when she joined the communist party. She was actively engaged in the fight of the poorest workers of the textile industry for safety and better salaries. She also helped the soldiers of Indian Navy who opposed the British authorities. Ahilya and her comrades prepared food that was smuggled to marines who were detained on ships.

Together with other communist activists, Ahilya founded Parel Mahila Sangh – an organization of women fighting for women’s rights, especially for women from the lowest castes. At first, they fought for basic rights for mothers and higher earnings for working women. They also protested against the government and increase in prices. Soon, the organization grew so much that it became part of the nationwide movement. Today, All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) has more than 10 million members and constitutes women’s branch of the communist party. Ahilya was the leader of the organization for many years.

After India became independent in 1947, women who had fought together with men became less important in Indian society. Ahilya participated in the campaign against polygamy. ‘Let’s go from door to door, convince them to support the law in every yard, although the conservatives constantly accuse us of being against our religion.’ The act that prohibited bigamy was signed in 1950.

What constituted Ahilya’s strength was her conviction that what she was doing was right. She was separated from her family, risked being imprisoned, experienced violence – first as a fighter for Indian independence, later as a member of the main opposing party.

A poet called Ahilya ranragini (an instigator). Indeed, she was the driving force for numerous initiatives that aimed to defend the poorest in the society: tribal population, unqualified workers, medical service, etc. People in Mumbai knew her mostly from her 19 year long work in the municipal cooperative, where she wanted to secure decent living conditions for the poorest inhabitants of the city - safety, equal access to water, etc. She also organized the famous rolling pin marches in 1972, when women marched along the streets of Mombai beating rolling pins against steel plates.

In 1975, Ahilya was incarcerated again since she and other communist leaders protested against the Emergency declared by Indira Gandhi.

In 1977 Ahilya won elections and became a Member of Parliament. She was also a member of the board of Centre For Trade Unions. She was the leader of her party (CPI) in the 10-million-people state of Maharashtra.

Her last name, Rangnekar, belonged to her husband whom she married in 1945. They had two sons.