Sarojini Naidu

Sarojini Naidu, née Sarojini Chattopadhyay, (born February 13, 1879, Hyderabad, India—died March 2, 1949, Lucknow), political activist, feminist, poet. She was known as ‘the Nightingale of India’ and was the first Indian woman to be president of National Congress. Her poem The Gift of India reflects Sarojini’s love for her country, and reminds us of the sacrifices made by Indian soldiers during the First World War. Sarojini Naidu also led an active literary life and attracted notable Indian intellectuals to her famous salon in Bombay (now Mumbai). Her first volume of poetry, The Golden Threshold (1905), was followed by The Bird of Time (1912), and in 1914 she was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Her collected poems, all of which she wrote in English, have been published under the titles The Sceptred Flute (1928) and The Feather of the Dawn (1961).

Sarojini Naidu passed her examination from the University of Madras when she was twelve, took four-year break from her studies. In 1895, H.E.H. the Nizam's Charitable Trust founded by the 6th Nizam, Mahbub Ali Khan gave her a chance to study in England, first at King's College, London and later at Girton College, Cambridge. Sarojini met Paidipati Govindarajulu Naidu - a physician, at the age of 19, after finishing her studies, she married him. At that time, inter-caste marriages were not as common as they are today, but both their families approved their marriage. As Sarojini was from Bengal, while Paidipati Naidu was from Andhra, this was an inter-regional marriage of East and South India, with two different cultures. The couple had five children. Their daughter Padmaja also joined the independence movement and was part of the Quit India Movement.

Naidu joined the Indian independence movement in the wake of partition of Bengal in 1905. She soon met other such leaders as Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi and inspired to the work towards attaining freedom from the colonial regime and social reform. Between 1915 and 1918, Naidu travelled to different regions in India delivering lectures on social welfare, emancipation of women and nationalism. She also helped to establish the Women's Indian Association (WIA) in 1917. Naidu again went to London in 1919 as a part of the All India Home Rule League as a part of her continued efforts to advocate for freedom from the British rule. Upon return to India in 1920, she joined Gandhi's Satyagraha Movement. Naidu said in her address, "In the battle for liberty, fear is one unforgivable treachery and despair, the one unforgivable sin." Naidu was arrested, along with other Congress leaders including Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Madan Mohan Malaviya for participating in 1930 Salt March. The Indian National Congress decided to stay away from the First Round Table Conference that took place in London owing to the arrests. Sarojini was one of the major figures to have led the Civil Disobedience Movement and the Quit India Movement led by Mohandas Karmachanda Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi). She faced repeated arrestings by the British authorities during the time and even spent over 21 months (1 year and 9 months) in jail.

Sarojini began writing at the age of 12. Her play, Maher Muneer, written in Persian, impressed the Nizam of Kingdom of Hyderabad. Naidu's poem "In the Bazaars of Hyderabad" was published as a part of The Bird of Time with her other poems in 1912. "In the Bazaars of Hyderabad" was well received by critics, who variously noted Naidu's visceral use of rich sensory images in her writing. The Feather of the Dawn which contained poems written in 1927 by Naidu was edited and published posthumously in 1961 by her daughter Padmaja Naidu. Moreover her poem The Gift of India is also noteworthy for its patriotism and the actual environment of the 1915 India.

In 1917, she helped found the Women’s India Association and highlighted to Congress the need to involve more women in the struggle for freedom. She travelled all over India, working and giving speeches on youth welfare, workers rights, women’s emancipation and nationalism. After India gained independence, she became the first governor of the United Provinces, present-day Uttar Pradesh, and worked in this role until she died in 1949.

Naidu died of cardiac arrest at 3:30 p.m. (IST) on 2 March 1949 at the Government House in Lucknow. Upon her return from New Delhi on 15 February, she was advised to rest by her doctors, and all official engagements were canceled. Her health deteriorated substantially and bloodletting was performed on the night of 1 March after she complained of severe headache. She died after collapsing following a fit of cough. Naidu was said to have asked the nurse attending to her to sing to her at about 10:40 p.m. (IST) which put her to sleep. She subsequently died, and her last rites were performed at the Gomati River.