Sarojini Naidu

 

Sarojini Naidu

Born: 13 February, 1879

Place of Birth: Hyderabad

Parents: Aghore Nath Chattopadhyay (father) and Barada Sundari Devi (mother)

Spouse: Govindarajulu Naidu

Childrens: 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

Religious: 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

 

Sarojini Chattopadhyay political activist, poet, feminist and the first Indian woman to be president of the Indian National Congress and to be appointed an Indian state governor. She was sometimes called “the Nightingale of India.”

She was born in Hyderabad State on 13 February 1879 to Aghorenath Chattopadhyay and Varada Sundari Devi. Her parental home was at Brahmangaon Bikrampur, Dhaka, Bengal province (present-day Konoksar village, Louhajang, Munshiganj Bangladesh). Her father was a Bengali Brahmin and the principal of Hyderabad college, which later became Nizam College. Her mother wrote poetry in Bengali.

Education

Chattopadhyay passed her matriculation examination to qualify for university study, earning the highest rank, in 1891, when she was twelve. From 1895 to 1898 she studied in England, at King's College, London and then Girton College, Cambridge, with a scholarship from H.E.H. the Nizam's Charitable Trust founded by the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad "Mir Osman Ali Khan". In England, she met artists from the Aesthetic and Decadent movements. She travelled briefly in Europe

Marriage

Chattopadhyay returned to Hyderabad in 1898. That same year, she married Dr. Muthyala Govindarajulu Naidu, a physician.

Role in the Indian National Movement

Sarojini Naidu became part of the independence movement by showcasing her oratory skills. She advocated for women’s rights and their empowerment.

As the partition of Bengal began in 1905, she connected with eminent leaders of the Indian National Congress.

She met Mahatma Gandhi in 1914 and was inspired by him to commit herself to political activism.

Between 1915-1918, she excelled in delivering her oratory skills about the social welfare of women. She encouraged women to step out of their homes and fight for the independence of the country.

In 1917, Naidu accompanied Annie Beasant, the president of the Home Rule to advocate for women’s suffrage in front of the Joint Select Committee in London. She also showed support for the Lucknow Pact, a joint Hindu-Muslim demand for British better political reform.

Inspired by Gandhi's movement of nonviolent resistance against British rule, she joined his satyagraha.

In 1925, she was made the first female president of the Indian National Congress. A couple of years later, she became a founding member of the All India Women's Conference.

In 1930, Sarojini Naidu and a few other women activists, including Khurshed Naoroji and Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, joined Gandhi’s Salt March.

In 1931, Sarojini Naidu joined the Round Table Conference in London under the Gandhi-Irwin Pact. She was, however, jailed in 1932.

She was imprisoned multiple times by the British due to her nationalist activities. She was imprisoned for 21 months following her arrest in 1942 for her participation in the Quit India Movement.

After India’s independence in 1947, Naidu became the first governor of Uttar Pradesh. She retained office till her death in 1949.

 

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. In 1905, her collection of poems was published under the title "Golden Threshold". After that, she also published two other collections called "The Bird of Time", and "The Broken Wings".

Death

Sarojini Naidu was the first women Governor of Uttar Pradesh. On 2nd March 1949, Sarojini Naidu died at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.