‘She makes us proud’: Sarojini Naidu’s 1928 speech in the US goes viral

Sarojini Naidu, a poet and political activist, visited the US in 1928 to promote India’s cause against British colonisation.

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When one thinks about women who led India’s freedom struggle, Sarojini Naidu’s name readily comes to one’s mind.

Naidu, who was popularly known as the ‘Nightingale of India’ thanks to her evocative poetry, was also known for her oratory skills. Now a video of her speech, in which she addresses the Americans during her visit to the US in 1928, is going viral. Naidu visited the US to promote India’s cause of independence against British colonisation.

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In her address, Naidu introduces herself as an “ambassador of an ancient nation” and refers to the Americans as the “youngest nation in the world”. She subtly critiques the western notion that considered India a conservative society by pointing out that a woman has come to represent the nation in a foreign land. Further in her speech, she espouses the values of universal peace and freedom.

Beautiful! Proud of Bharat 🇮🇳!

Rare footage of India’s Sarojini Naidu speaking to Americans during a visit to the US in 1928.

pic.twitter.com/lkW1TvWUIp

— Erik Solheim (@ErikSolheim) February 6, 2023

A portion of this speech, delivered 95 years ago, was shared on Twitter by former Norwegian diplomat Erik Solheim Monday morning. While sharing the video, Solheim wrote: “Beautiful! Proud of Bharat 🇮🇳! Rare footage of India’s Sarojini Naidu speaking to Americans during a visit to the US in 1928.”

This clip has so far gathered over 3.2 lakh views. Commenting on it, a Twitter user wrote: “Just watch the cultural & nationalist rooting, confidence, aura of conviction & knowledgable oratory of an Indian woman. The Indian Women are always ahead of their times as amply demonstrated by Sarojini Naidu during that era….” Another person said, “She makes us proud 🙏🙏#ProudIndian.”

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