PLEASE READ THE BELOW PASSAGE AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS!
The poet who inspired a whole generation of women
1. Sarojini Chattopadhyaya was the daughter of Aghoranath Chattopadhyaya, a scientist
and the founder of the Nizam College in Hyderabad, and Barada Sundari Devi, a famous Bengali poetess. She met physician and future husband Govindarajulu Naidu
when she was studying at King’s College, London. The sobriquet ‘Nightingale of India’ or ‘Bharatiya Kokila’ was bestowed on her because of her lyrical poems, which
are rich in imagery and have a simple but timeless beauty appreciated by poetry lovers and studied by school students across the country.
2. A child prodigy, freedom fighter and woman leader, Sarojini Naidu was also a skilled
orator and exemplary administrator. A gifted student; Sarojini was proficient in Bengali, Urdu, Telugu, English and Persian. At the tender age of twelve, she topped the
matriculation examination at Madras University. Her father wanted her to become a
mathematician or scientist but she had an innate interest in poetry. Once, when Sarojini
was working on an algebra problem, she could not derive the solution. Deciding to
take a break, she wrote her first poem in her math book. Soon her literary leanings became more prominent when she wrote a 1,300-line-long poem ‘The Lady of the Lake’.
3. When her father realized that she was more interested in poetry than Math or Science,
he encouraged her. Sarojini’s poems eschewed flowery language and stuck to simple
words and everyday Indian milieu of forests and mountains, weavers and snake charmers to explore themes like joy and pathos, life and death. At thirteen she wrote a
long poem in the manner of famous English poets.
4. After her matriculation in India, she went to England for higher education. She met Sir
Edmund, a distinguished man of letters. He was impressed by her knowledge and intelligence. He was surprised to see that she had written poems in flawless English but
felt disappointed to find that they had nothing of the east in them. They were all about
English sights. From that day onwards, she devoted herself to write verses about India.
1. Sarojini Naidu is known as the ‘Nightingale of India’. Why?
2. What were the qualities shown by Sarojini Naidu as a child?
3. When did her father realize that she was more interested in poetry than Math or Science?
4. Who was Sir Edmund and how did Sarojini Naidu meet him?
5. Find the words from the passage which mean
a person’s nickname (Para-1)
b. deliberately avoid using (Para- 3)
Answers
Explanation: 1)The sobriquet ‘Nightingale of India’ or ‘Bharatiya Kokila’ was bestowed on her because of her lyrical poems, which
are rich in imagery and have a simple but timeless beauty appreciated by poetry lovers and studied by school students across the country.
2)A gifted student; Sarojini was proficient in Bengali, Urdu, Telugu, English and Persian. At the tender age of twelve, she topped the
matriculation examination at Madras University.
3)Once, when Sarojini
was working on an algebra problem, she could not derive the solution. Deciding to
take a break, she wrote her first poem in her math book. Soon her literary leanings became more prominent when she wrote a 1,300-line-long poem ‘The Lady of the Lake’.
4)Edmund, a distinguished man of letters. He was impressed by her knowledge and intelligence.she met him in England
5)a)sobriquet
b) ??
Answer: