Sarojini Naidu

Sarojini Naidu was an Indian politician, freedom fighter and a renowned poet. Sarojini Naidu was also known as Sarojini Chattopadhyay. In this article, you will learn about Sarojini Naidu, Sarojini Naidu’s education, life and work, achievements and awards, contribution in freedom fighter, etc.

This article will provide key insights for GS Paper-I Indian History section of UPSC IAS Exam.

Table of Content

• Who is Sarojini Naidu?  
• Sarojini Naidu’s early life:             
• Early oratory:    
• Social work:       
• Role of Sarojini Naidu in freedom struggle            
• Writing career   
• Books written by Sarojini Naidu
• Conclusion         
• Frequently Asked Questions       
• Reference           

Who is Sarojini Naidu?

• Sarojini Naidu was an Indian politician, freedom fighter and a renowned poet.
• Sarojini Naidu was also known as Sarojini Chattopadhyay.
• She was the first Indian woman to become a state governor of Independent India as the Governor of Uttar Pradesh in 1947.
  • She had served in this position until her death in 2 March 1949 caused by the Cardiac Arrest.
• She was the first Indian woman to become the President of the Indian National Congress.
• She was the first Indian woman to preside over the conference of Indian National Congress.
• She was the member of Constituent Assembly and hence contributed towards the Indian Constitution.

Sarojini Naidu’s early life:

• She was born on 13 February 1879 in Hyderabad.
• Her father was AghorenathChattopadhyay and mother was Varada Sundari Devi.
  • Her birthday is celebrated as Women’s Day.
• Naidu has received her education in Madras, King’sCollege in London and at Girton College in Cambridge.
  • Her scholarship was provided by the Nizam of Hyderabad.
  • During her time in England, she had interacted with artists of the Aesthetic and Decadent movements.
• She had advocated for women’s suffrage while in Britain.
• She later became involved in the Congress party’s fight for India’s freedom.
• She has aligned herself with Mahatma Gandhi’s concept of swaraj which has emphasised self-rule.
• In 1925, she was chosen as the president of the Congress party.
• She was the eldest of the eight siblings where her brother Virendranath Chattopadhyay was a revolutionary, and another brother Harindranath a poet, dramatist, and an actor.

Early oratory:

• From 1904, Naidu’s oratory skills gained popularity while she was advocating for Indian independence and women’s rights.
  • She was particularly emphasizing the importance of women’s education.
• Her speeches framed arguments which was then followed by the structural reasoning of Nyaya, consisting of five parts.
• In 1906, she has delivered many speeches at the Indian National Congress and the Indian Social Conference in Calcutta.

Social work:

• Naidu has dedicated social work during flood which led her to being awarded with the Kaisar-i-HindMedal in 1911.
  • However, she returned the medal in protest against the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in April 1919.
• She had established the Women’s Indian Association in 1917 along with the Muthulakshmi Reddy.
• Naidu and Annie Besant had advocated for universal suffrage before the JointSelectCommittee in London, United Kingdom.
  • Annie Besant was the president of the Home Rule League and Women’s Indian Association.
• She had actively supported the Lucknow Pact during the Madras Special Provincial Council.

Role of Sarojini Naidu in freedom struggle  

• Naidu had developed strong connections with Gandhi, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Rabindranath Tagore, and Sarala Devi Chaudhurani.
• After 1917, she actively joined Gandhi’s satyagraha movement and advocated for nonviolent resistance against British rule.
• In 1919, Naidu had travelled to London as part of the All-India Home Rule League.
• In 1920, she had actively participated in India’s non-cooperation movement.
• During the East African Indian National Congress in 1924, Naidu had represented the Indian National Congress.
• She had founded the All-India Women’s Conference in 1927 for the advancement of women’s rights.
• In 1928, she travelled to the United States to promote the ideology of nonviolent resistance.
• Naidu has presided over the 1929 session of the East African and Indian Congress in South Africa.
• Naidu, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay and Khurshed Naoroji had together convinced Gandhi to include women in the Salt March of 1930.
  • When Gandhi was arrested on April 6, 1930, he had appointed Naidu as the new leader of the campaign.
• In 1931, Naidu along with other Congress Party leaders took part in the Second Round Table Conference led by Viceroy Lord Irwin.
• Naidu was imprisoned by the British in 1932 and in 1942 due to her involvement in the Quit India Movement.

Writing career

• Naidu’s poetry has earned her the title of the “Nightingale of India” or “bharat kokila”.
  • The title was bestowed upon her by Gandhi.
• Naidu’s journey as a writer began when she at the age of 12.
  • Her Persian play– Maher Muneer has left a lasting impression on the Nizam of Hyderabad.
• Her poetic works covered various themes, including patriotism and tragedy such as “Indian weavers”.
• Naidu’s poems were mainly written in English with the style of lyric poetry in consonance with the British Romanticism.
• She used sensory imagery, painting vivid pictures of India’s landscapes in her writings.
  • Her poetic prowess earned her the esteemed title of the “Indian Yeats.”
• Her debut collection of poems, titled “The Golden Threshold,” was published in London in 1905.
  • This series contained one of her famous poems- “coromandel fishers”.
• Her second collection of poems- “The Bird of Time,” was published in 1912, was a powerful expression of her nationalist sentiments.
• “The Village Song” was published in 1912.
• Her most famous poem is “In the Bazaars of Hyderabad,” published in 1912.
• “The Broken Wing,” published in 1917, was her finalcollectionpublished.
  • It had contained the poem- “The Gift of India,” a critique of the British empire’s exploitation of Indian mothers and soldiers, which she recited to the Hyderabad Ladies’ War Relief Association in 1915.
  • Another poem in the collection was “Awake!”, dedicated to M.A. Jinnah.
• Following her death, Naidu’s complete collection of poems, including unpublished works, was assembled in “The Feather of the Dawn” (1961), edited by her daughter Padmaja Naidu.
• Naidu’s speeches were compiled and published for the first time in 1918 as “The Speeches and Writings of Sarojini Naidu.”

Books written by Sarojini Naidu  

• 1905: The Golden Threshold, London: William Heineman
• 1915: Thth & the Spring, London: William Heineman and New York: John Lane Company
• 1919: The Broken Wing: Songs of Love, Death and the Spring
• 1919: “The Song of the Palanquin Bearers”
• 1948: The Sceptred Flute: Songs of India
• 1961: The Feather of the Dawn, edited by Padmaja Naidu

Conclusion

Sarojini Naidu’s contributions as a poet, political activist, and feminist has left an indelible mark on Indian history and literature. Her eloquent verses, filled with vivid imagery and emotional depth, continue to inspire readers around the world. Naidu’s unwavering dedication to the Indian independence movement and her efforts to uplift women’s rights paved the way for a more inclusive and progressive society.

Ref: Source-1

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