Sarojini Naidu
Sarojini
Naidu
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Born
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Died
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Occupation
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Poet, writer, social activist
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Nationality
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Alma mater
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Spouse(s)
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Dr. Muthyala Govindarajulu
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Children
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Jayasurya, Padmaja, Randheer,
Nilawar and Leelamani
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Signature
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Sarojini Naidu, (born as Sarojini Chattopadhyaya/ সরোজিনী
চট্টোপাধ্যায় ) also known by the sobriquet
as The Nightingale of India, was a child prodigy, Indian
independence activist and poet. Naidu was one of the
formers of the Indian Constitution. Naidu was the first Indian woman to become
the President of the Indian
National Congress and the first woman to become the Governor of Uttar Pradesh state. Her birthday is celebrated as women's day all over
India.
Early
life
Sarojini Naidu was born in Hyderabad
to a Bengali Hindu Kulin Brahmin family to Aghore Nath Chattopadhyay and Barada Sundari Debi
on 13 February 1879. Her father was a doctor of Science from Edinburgh
University, settled in Hyderabad State, where he founded and administered the
Hyderabad College, which later became the Nizam's College in Hyderabad. Her
mother was a poetess and used to write poetry in Bengali. Sarojini Naidu was
the eldest among the eight siblings. One of her brothers Birendranath was a revolutionary and her other brother, Harindranath was a poet, dramatist, and actor.
Education
Sarojini Naidu passed her
Matriculation examination from the University of Madras. She took four years'
break from her studies and concentrated upon studying various subjects. In
1895, she travelled to England to study first at King's College London and
later at Girton College, Cambridge. She fell in love with Govindarajulu and
married him in 1898. E: Sarojini Naidu OCCUPATION: Activist, Political Leader,
Poet BIRTH DATE: February 13, 1879 DEATH DATE: March 2, 1949 EDUCATION:
University of Madras, King's College, London, Girton College, Cambridge PLACE
OF BIRTH: Hyderabad, India PLACE OF DEATH: Lucknow, India Maiden Name: Sarojini
Chattopadhyay AKA: Sarojini Naidu
Career
Indian
Freedom Fighter
Sarojini Naidu joined the Indian
national movement in the wake of partition
of Bengal in 1905. She came into contact with Gopal Krishna
Gokhale, Rabindranath Tagore, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Annie Besant, C. P. Ramaswami
Iyer, Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru.
During 1915-1918, she travelled to
different regions in India delivering lectures on social welfare, women
empowerment and nationalism. She awakened the women of India and brought them
out of the kitchen. She also helped to establish the Women's Indian
Association (WIA) in 1917. She was sent to London along with Annie Besant, President of
WIA, to present the case for the women's vote to the Joint Select Committee.
President
of the Congress
In 1925, Sarojini Naidu presided
over the annual session of Indian
National Congress at Cawnpore.
In 1929, she presided over East African Indian Congress in South Africa. She was awarded the hind a kesari medal by the British
government for her work during the plague epidemic in India. In 1931, she participated in the Round table conference
with Gandhiji and Madan Mohan
Malaviya. Sarojini Naidu played a leading role during the Civil
Disobedience Movement and was jailed along with Gandhiji
and other leaders. In 1942, Sarojini Naidu was arrested during the "Quit India" movement. She was a great freedom fighter and an
equally great poet.
Literary
career
Sarojini Naidu began writing at the
age of 12. Her Persian play, Maher Muneer, impressed the Nawab of Hyderabad. In
1905, her collection of poems, named "The Broken Exes" was published. Her poems were admired by many prominent Indian politicians
like Gopal Krishna
Gokhale.
Golden
Threshold
Named “Golden Threshold” after
Sarojini Naidu’s much celebrated collection of poems, this premise has a long
and wider history. This was the residence of her father, Dr. Aghornath
Chattopadhyay, the first Principal of Hyderabad College, later named Nizam
College. This was the home of many reformist ideas in Hyderabad
- in areas ranging from marriage, education, women’s empowerment, literature
and nationalism –apart from being the home of brilliant, radical and creative
members of the Chattopadhyay family, which included the anti-imperialist
revolutionary Birendranath; maverick poet, actor and connoisseur of music and
dance Harindranath; dancer and film actress Sunalini Devi; communist leader
Suhasini Devi –and of course the poet, crusader for women’s rights, nationalist
leader and ‘Nightingale of India’ Sarojini Devi. Harindranath Chattopadhyay
said about this house, where anyone and any ideas were welcome for discussion,
“a museum of wisdom and culture,a zoo crowded with a medley of strange types –
some even verging on the mystique”. Golden Threshold now houses Theatre Outreach
Unit an initiative of University of Hyderabad started in August 2012.
Marriage
During her stay in England, Sarojini
met Dr. Govindarajulu Naidu, a non-Brahmin and a doctor by profession, and fell
in love with him. After finishing her studies at the age of 19, she got married
to him during the time when inter-caste marriages were not allowed. Her father
approved of the marriage and her marriage was a very happy one.
The couple had five children. Jayasurya,
Padmaja, Randheer, Nilawar and Leelamani. Her daughter Padmaja
followed in to her footprints and became the Governor of West Bengal. In 1961,
she published a collection of poems entitled The Feather of The Dawn.
Death
In 1949 she fell ill. Her physician
arrived quickly and gave her a sleeping pill to reduce her pain. As he gave the
pill, she smiled and said "Not eternal sleep, I hope". But that night
(on March 2, 1949) she died in her sleep becoming a "Nightingale of Heaven
and God"- Noble
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