Sarojini Naidu The Famous Women of India

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• Born: 13 February, 1879
• Place of Birth: Hyderabad 
• Parents: Aghore Nath Chattopadhyay (father) and Barada Sundari Devi (mother)
• Spouse: Govindarajulu Naidu
• Children: Jayasurya, Padmaja, Randheer, and Leilamani.
• Education: University of Madras; King’s College, London; Girton College, Cambridge
• Associations: Indian National Congress
• Movements: Indian Nationalist Movement, Indian Independence Movement
• Political Ideology: Right-winged; Non-violence.
• Religious Beliefs: Hinduism
• Publications: The Golden Threshold (1905); The Bird of Time (1912); Muhammad Jinnah: An Ambassador of Unity. (1916); The Broken Wing (1917); The Sceptred Flute (1928); The Feather of the Dawn (1961)
• Passed Away: 2 March, 1949

Memorial: Golden Threshold, Sarojini Naidu School of Arts & Communication, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India

Sarojini Naidu

Sarojini Naidu was born in Hyderabad on 13 February, 1879. Her father, Aghorenath Chattopadhyay, was a Bengali Brahmin who was the principal of the Nizam’s College in Hyderabad. She was educated in Madras, London and Cambridge. Following her time in England, where she worked as a suffragist, she was drawn to Indian National Congress’ movement for India’s independence from British rule.

She became a part of the Indian nationalist movement and became a follower of Mahatma Gandhi and his idea of swaraj. She was arrested, along with other Congress leaders including Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Madan Mohan Malaviya for participating in 1930 Salt March. Sarojini was one of the major figures to have led the Civil Disobedience Movement and the Quit India Movement. She faced repeated arrestings by the British authorities during the time and even spent over 21 months (1year 9months) in jail. She was appointed the President of the Indian National Congress in 1925 and later became the Governor of the United Provinces in 1947, becoming the first woman to hold the office of Governor in the Dominion of India.

Her work as a poet earned her the sobriquet ‘the Nightingale of India’, or ‘Bharat Kokila’ by Mahatma Gandhi because of color, imagery and lyrical quality of her poetry. Naidu’s poetry includes both children’s poems and others written on more serious themes including patriotism, romance, and tragedy. Published in 1912, ‘In the Bazaars of Hyderabad’ remains one of her most popular poems.

Sarojini Naidu (née Sarojini Chattopadhyay) was an Indian poet and political activist best known for being the first female president of the India National Congress. She was also the first woman to be appointed an Indian state governor. The daughter of an educationist and social reformer, she was exposed to revolutionary ideas from a young age. Her family supported her artistic and literary pursuits as well, and she received a good education, a rarity for an Indian woman of her era.

As a young woman, she joined the Indian nationalist movement and supported Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolent resistance against British rule. She was jailed by the British numerous times. Also a feminist, she helped establish the Women’s Indian Association. Following India’s independence, she became the governor of the United Provinces (present-day Uttar Pradesh) and held this post until her death.

Alongside her active participation in India’s independence movement, she also had a brilliant career as a writer and poet. She was an elected fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and was fondly called Bharat Kokila or the Nightingale of India by Mahatma Gandhi. She was married to a physician and had four children, including Padmaja Naidu, who was also a part of the Quit India Movement. 

Role in the Indian National Movement

Sarojini was initiated into the Indian political arena by iconic stalwarts of the Indian freedom struggle, Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Gandhi. She was deeply affected by the partition of Bengal in 1905 and decided to join the Indian freedom struggle. She met regularly with Gopal Krishna Gokhale, who in turn introduced her to the otherleaders of the Indian freedom movement. Gokhale urged her to devote her intellect and education for the cause.

She took a respite from writing and devoted herself fully to the political cause. She met Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, C. P. Ramaswami Iyer and Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Her relationship with Gandhi was that of mutual respect as well as of benign humour. She famously called Gandhi ‘Mickey Mouse’ and quipped “It costs a lot to keep Gandhi poor!”

She met Jawaharlal Nehru in 1916, worked with him for the disheartening conditions of the Indigo workers of Champaran in the western district of Bihar and fought vehemently with the British for their rights. Sarojini Naidu travelled all over India and delivered speeches on welfare of youth, dignity of labor, women’s emancipation and nationalism. In 1917, she helped found the Women’s India Association with Annie Besant and other prominent leaders. She also presented to Congress the need to involve more women in the freedom struggle. She travelled extensively to the United States of America and many European countries as the flag-bearer of the Indian Nationalist struggle.

In March 1919, the British government passed the Rowlatt Act by which the possession of seditious documents was deemed illegal. Mahatma Gandhi organized the Non-Cooperation Movement to protest and Naidu was the first to join the movement. Sarojini Naidu religiously followed Gandhi’s example and actively supported his other campaigns like the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms, the Khilafat issue, the Sabarmati Pact, the Satyagraha Pledge and the Civil Disobedience Movement.

When Gandhi was arrested after the Salt March to Dandi in 1930, she led the Dharasana Satyagraha with other leaders. She accompanied Gandhi to London to take part in the Round Table Talks with the British Government in 1931. Her political activities and role in the Freedom struggle led to several stints in prison – in 1930, 1932, and 1942. Her 1942 arrest led to imprisonment for 21 months.

She went to England in 1919 as a member of the All-India Home Rule Deputation. In January 1924, she was one of the two delegates of the Indian National Congress to attend the East African Indian Congress. As a result of her selfless contribution to the cause of freedom, she was elected as the President of the Indian National Congress Party in 1925.

Naidu played an immense role in presenting the nuances of the Indian non-violent struggle for freedom to the world. She travelled to Europe and even to the United states to disseminate Gandhian principles and was partly responsible for establishing him as this icon of peace.

Sarojini Naidu Poems Name List

• A Love Song from the North
• A Rajput Love Song
• Alabaster
• An Indian Love Song
• An Indian Love Song
• Autumn Song
• Corn Grinders
• Coromandel Fishers
• Cradle Song
• Damayante To Nala In The Hour Of Exile
• Ecstasy
• Harvest Hymn
• Humayun To Zobeida (From the Urdu)
• In Praise Of Henna
• In Salutation to the Eternal Peace
• In The Forest
• Indian Dancer
• Indian Dancers
• Indian Love Song
• Indian Weavers
• Leili
• Life
• My Dead Dream
• Nightfall In The City Of Hyderabad
• Ode to H.H. The Nizam Of Hyderabad
• Palanquin Bearers
• Past and Future
• Song Of A Dream
• Street Cries
• Suttee
• The indian gipsy
• The Pardah Nashin
• The Poet To Death
• The Poet’s Love Song
• The Poet’s Love-Song
• The Queen’s Rival
• The Royal Tombs Of Golconda
• The Snake Charmer
• The Song Of Princess Zeb-Un-Nissa In Praise Of Her Own Beauty
• To A Buddha Seated On A Lotus
• To India
• To My Children
• To My Fairy Fancies
• To The God of Pain
• To Youth
• Transience
• Village Song
• Wandering Singers

Literary Achievements

Besides her role and contribution to the Indian Nationalist Movement, Sarojini Naidu is also revered for her contribution in the field of Indian poetry. Many of her works were transformed into songs. She drew her inspiration from nature as well as surrounding daily life and her poetry echoed with the ethos of her patriotism.

In 1905, her collection of poems was published under the title “Golden Threshold”. Later, she also published two other collections called “The Bird of Time”, and “The Broken Wings”, both of which attracted huge readership in both India and England. Apart from poetry, she also penned articles and essays like ‘Words of Freedom’ on her political beliefs and social issues like women empowerment.