Question

Work done by Sarojini Naidu for women. Explain in detail.

Answer 1

It is indeed surprising that the birth day of Sarojini Naidu on February 13 did not attract much attention even in these days of vociferous demand for reservations for women in Parliament and state legislatures. She was truly the first crusader of our times for women’s rights. She was the eldest of a large family, all of whom were taught English at an early age. She wrote, “I was stubborn and refused to speak it”. So one day when she was nine years old her father punished her the only time she was ever punished by shutting her in a room alone for a whole day. She came out of it full blown linguist. She never spoke any other language to him or to her mother, except in Hindustani.

“Her training under her father’s eye was of sternly scientific character. He was determined that she should be a great mathematician or a scientist, but the poetic instinct, which she inherited from him and also from her mother (who wrote some lovely Bengali lyrics in her youth), proved stronger.

One day, when she was eleven, she was trying to solve a sum in algebra; it would not come right; but instead a whole poem came to her suddenly and she wrote it down.

From that day her poetic career began. At thirteen, Sarojini wrote a long poem “Lady of the Lake” – 1300 lines in six days and at the same age wrote a drama of 2000 lines, a full fledged passionate thing that began on the spur of the moment without forethought, just to spite the doctor who said that she was ill and must not touch a book. Her health broke down affecting her regular studies. Still she read voraciously. Great part of her reading was done between the ages of fourteen and sixteen.

At the age of 16, Sarojini had gone to England where she was fascinated by the beautiful countryside and the bounties of nature depicted in birds and flowers. She started composing poems of an English character, but on the advice of an English friend, Edmund Gosse, began to write of things Indian. She wrote so well that three of her poems. “The Soul’s Prayer”, “In Salutation of the Eternal” and “To a Buddha Seated on a Lotus” were included in the Oxford Book of English mystical verse.

She returned to Hyderabad, her birth place, in September 1898 and in December, to the surprise of all, broke through the bonds of caste, and married Dr. M.G. Naidu. Her poems seven years later have one dedicated to their four children.

It was Gopal Krishna Gokhale who first brought her on the political platform and harnessed her energies in the struggle for freedom. Sarojini Naidu met Mahatma Gandhi in 1914. She was attracted to him at the first meeting itself and their friendship continued forever.

The credit goes to Sarojini Naidu for the growth of the women’s movement in India parallel to the freedom movement. Before she became the first woman President of the Indian National Congress in 1925, she toured the country extensively and inspired women everywhere. She played a major role in getting the voting rights for women.

There were a large number of women, organisation in India. They needed to be amalgamated and united. The All India Women’s Conference came into existence in October 1926 and Sarojini Naidu became its friend, philosopher and guide. From 1928 onwards, this organization more or less, took complete charge of women’s emancipation in the country.

When Sarojini Naidu became the Governor of Uttar Pradesh in 1947 she called herself – “She – Lat” (Lady Governor). Earlier in March 1947, she presided over the Asian Relations – conference. Her speech was widely praised. She spoke extempore with no notes and never faltered. On March 2, 1949, she breathed her last.

Sarojini Naidu’s own epitaph expresses her philosophy of death as under: “Need you another tribute for a token who reft from me the pride of all my years. So l will leave you unspoken Shrine to dead dreams: “O” temple of my tears. A memorial stands now on the Banks of Gomti River in Lucknow.