Sarojini Naidu: The Nightingale and the Freedom Fighter

Sarojini Naidu on a 1964 Indian stamp

Sarojini Naidu was a remarkable woman who lived in a remarkable time. She was born in 1879 in Hyderabad, India, to a Bengali Brahmin family. She was a child prodigy who excelled in academics, music, and poetry. She went to study in England at the age of 16 and became a part of the suffragist movement there. She returned to India and joined the Indian National Congress, the leading political party that fought for India’s independence from British rule. She became a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi and participated in many of his nonviolent campaigns against colonial oppression. She was arrested several times and spent several years in prison for her patriotic activities. She was also the first Indian woman to be elected as the president of the Congress in 1925 and the first Indian woman to be appointed as the governor of a state (Uttar Pradesh) in 1947.

Her Early Life and Education

Sarojini Naidu was born on February 13, 1879, in Hyderabad, India. Her father was Aghorenath Chattopadhyay, a Bengali Brahmin who was the principal of Nizam College, Hyderabad. Her mother was Varada Sundari Devi, a poetess who wrote in Bengali. She had seven siblings, including Virendranath Chattopadhyay, a revolutionary; Harindranath Chattopadhyay, a poet and an actor; and Suhasini Chattopadhyay, a freedom fighter.

She was a brilliant student who mastered several languages, including Urdu, Telugu, English, Bengali, and Persian. She also learned to play the veena, a musical instrument.

She wrote her first poem at the age of 12 and attracted the attention of the Nizam of Hyderabad, who granted her a scholarship to study abroad.

She entered the University of Madras at the age of 12 and studied there for three years.

She then went to England in 1895 and enrolled at King’s College, London. She later moved to Girton College, Cambridge.

She met several prominent figures in England, such as Arthur Symons, Edmund Gosse, and William Butler Yeats. Yeats was impressed by her poetry and encouraged her to publish her first collection of poems, The Golden Threshold (1905).

Her Political Career and Activism

Sarojini Naidu returned to India in 1898 and married Govindarajulu Naidu, a doctor from Andhra Pradesh. They had five children: Jayasurya, Padmaja, Randheer, Nilawar, and Leelamani.

She became involved in the Indian National Congress (INC), the main political party that opposed British rule in India. She met Mahatma Gandhi in 1914 and became his loyal follower and friend.

She supported Gandhi’s ideas of swaraj (self-rule), satyagraha (truth force), and ahimsa (nonviolence). She participated in many of his civil disobedience movements, such as the Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-22), the Salt March (1930), the Quit India Movement (1942), and the Individual Satyagraha (1943).

She was arrested several times by the British authorities for her anti-colonial activities. She spent more than three years in jail in total.

She also traveled abroad to spread awareness about India’s freedom struggle. She visited East Africa, South Africa, Europe, America, and China. She spoke at various forums and conferences and met with many influential leaders and personalities.

She became the first Indian woman to be elected as the president of the INC in 1925. She presided over its annual session held in Kanpur.

She also became the first Indian woman to be appointed as the governor of a state after India gained its independence in 1947. She became the governor of Uttar Pradesh (then known as United Provinces) and served until her death in 1949.

Her Literary Works and Legacy

Sarojini Naidu was not only a political activist but also a poet of great renown. She wrote poetry in English and was influenced by both Indian and Western traditions.

Her poems expressed her love for her country, her admiration for nature, her devotion to God, and her compassion for humanity. She used rich imagery, lyrical language, and musical rhythm in her verses.

Some of her famous poems are “In the Bazaars of Hyderabad”, “The Gift of India”, “The Lotus”, “The Pardah Nashin”, “The Song of Princess Zeb-un-Nissa”, “To India”, “To My Children”, “To Youth”, “To a Buddha Seated on a Lotus”, “To My Fairy Fancies”, “To My Books”, “To My Dead Dream”, “To My Children’s Children”, “To My Fairy Fancies”, “To My Books”, “To My Dead Dream”, “To My Children’s Children”.

She published several collections of poems, such as The Golden Threshold (1905), The Bird of Time (1912), The Broken Wing (1917), The Sceptred Flute (1928), The Feather of the Dawn (1961), etc.

She was given the nickname of “The Nightingale of India” by Gandhi because of the beauty and melody of her voice and words.

She also wrote some prose works, such as Speeches and Writings of Sarojini Naidu (1916), Mahatma Gandhi: His Life and Ideals (1933), The Indian Weavers (1935), etc.

She also translated some works from Persian into English, such as The Alchemist by Jami (1915) and The Diwan-i-Hafiz by Hafiz (1916).

Sarojini Naidu died on March 2, 1949, in Lucknow. She was cremated at Allahabad on the banks of the Ganges river.

She left behind a legacy of courage, wisdom, and grace that continues to inspire generations of Indians and people around the world.