Sarojini Naidu

Sarojini Naidu: Nightingale of India

"A country’s greatness lies in its undying ideals of love and sacrifice that inspire the mothers of the race." - Sarojini Naidu

Born on 13th February 1879, Sarojini Naidu was a poet and freedom fighter. 

Sarojini Naidu was born on 13th February 1879 in a Hyderabad to Aghorenath and Sundara Devi Chattopadhyay. Her father was the principal of Nizam's college in Hyderabad whereas her mother was a prominent Bengali poet.

Eldest of the eight siblings, Sarojini studied from the University of Madras and then went to England to study in King's College, London and Girton College in Cambridge. She was highly moved by Mahatmaandhi and his idea of attaining Independence through non-violence.

Sarojini Naidu joined the Indian Independence Movement in 1905. She was heavily inspired by prominent thinkers and writers like Rabindranath Tagore and Gopal Krishna Gokhale. Sarojini Naidu also raised her voice against evil practices which affected the lives of women across the country.

She played a major role in establishing Women's Indian Association (WIA) in 1917. Naidu again went back to England in 1919 to advocate for freedom from the tyrannical British rule. She came back to India and joined Mahatma Gandhi's Satyagraha Movement.

Sarojini Naidu, along with other freedom fighter played a major role in Civil Disobedience and Quit India Movement. She was a real headache for the British authorities as she inspired women all across the country to step out of their houses and take part in the nation's quest to attain Independence.

Sarojini Naidu was a meritorious student and an inspiring writer. She wrote her first play 'Maher Muneer' in Persian. 'The Golden Threshold', a collection of her poems was published in 1905 and was highly praised by the celebrated writers of that time.

She gained worldwide acclaim for 'In the Bazaars of Hyderabad', 'The Gift of India' and many such poems. After India's Independence, Sarojini Naidu was appointed as the Governor of United Provinces (Uttar Pradesh). She breathed her last on 2nd March 1949.