Sarojini Naidu: A lyrical voice of women’s empowerment and nationalism

“…The liberty of the soul will be India’s share only when woman is free,” said Sarojini Naidu, who firmly believed that India’s true liberation could not be achieved without the emancipation of its women. Her enduring legacy as a champion of women’s rights is honoured by celebrating her birth anniversary on February 13 as National Women’s Day in India. 

Born to Bengali parents in Hyderabad in 1879, Naidu was a woman of many talents. She was a prominent woman leader in India’s freedom struggle and a devoted follower of Mahatma Gandhi, with whom she shared a warm camaraderie. Naidu held the distinction of being the first Indian woman elected as the president of the Indian National Congress at its Kanpur session in 1925. After independence, she also became the first governor of Uttar Pradesh. Above all, she is a pioneering figure in Indian English poetry.

Though she has written on a range of subjects — love, nature, death, dreams — her poems stand out in her oeuvre for vividly depicting the panorama of Indian life, its rich landscape, folk characters and rituals, along with her love for the country. Naidu’s poetry, often infused with rich imagery, emotive language, and musicality, earned her the title “Nightingale of India”, bestowed upon her by Mahatma Gandhi. On her birth anniversary, let’s explore how Naidu’s literary contributions complement her political activism and her advocacy for women’s rights. 

“Be a genuine poet of the Deccan”

As a young girl, she began writing poetry much in the manner of English poets P. B. Shelley and Alfred Tennyson. This was noted by Edmund Gosse, an English poet and writer, who advised her to reveal in her poetry “the heart of India…the principles of antique religion… and to describe the flowers, the fruits, the trees…the gardens, the temples…to be a genuine poet of the Deccan, not a machine-made imitator of the English classics”. Naidu heeded this advice and successfully infused her poems with the richness of Indian culture.

Sometimes referred to as Mirabai by Gandhi, Naidu’s poetic works include The Golden Threshold (1905), a collection of 37 short poems; The Bird of Time: Songs of Life, Death and The Spring (1912), consisting of 47 poems; The Broken Wing: Songs of Love, Death and Destiny (1917), featuring 62 poems; The Feather of the Dawn (1961), containing 37 poems and published posthumously, was compiled by her daughter Padmaja Naidu. Introducing The Golden Threshold, British symbolist poet and critic Arthur Symons praised her poetry for “the bird-like quality” and “an Eastern magic”.

Moreover, the self-explanatory titles of many of her poems – “Indian Weavers”, “The Snake-Charmer”, “Palanquin- Bearers”, “Coromandel Fishers”, “Bangle-Sellers”, “Wandering Beggars”, “Corn- Grinders”, “Indian Dancers” and “The Indian Gipsy” – offer a snapshot of the everyday lives of many common folks in India. Her much-celebrated poem, “In the Bazaars of Hyderabad”, revels in the vibrancy of a bustling Hyderabad bazaar where merchants, vendors, goldsmiths, fruit sellers and flower girls sell an array of goods. Poems like “Vasant Panchami”, “The Festival of Serpents” and “Raksha Bandhan” celebrate traditional Indian festivals. 

Hindu mythology also served as a rich source of themes, motifs, and characters in many of Naidu’s poems. “The Flute-Player of Brindaban” celebrates the faith and commitment of a devotee of Krishna; “Song of Radha, The Milkmaid”, set against the backdrop of a Mathura fair, shows the passion of Radha as she chants “Govinda, Govinda”, oblivious to the many attractions around her. 

In addition to Hindu festivals and traditions, Naidu also draws on Persian and Urdu poetic traditions in some of her poems. P.V. Rajyalakshmi, in her book The Lyric Spring: A Study of the Poetry of Sarojini Naidu, praises her cosmopolitan outlook, noting that her poems “capture the true spirit of Muslim folk-festivals”and are “resonant with the muezzins, prayer-calls, litanies and incantations of Islam”. For instance, Naidu’s poem “The Night of Martyrdom” captures the solemn essence of Muharram and “The Pardah Nashin” paints a sympathetic picture of a veiled Muslim woman whose sorrow and tears, however, do not escape the poet’s keen observation. 

Championing women’s rights

In some of her poems, she pays tribute to Indian womanhood, celebrating iconic figures like Sita, Savitri, Draupadi, Damayanti and Shakuntala. “Damayante to Nala in the Hour of Exile” highlights the devotion of Damayanti to her husband in his difficult times. “Bangle-Sellers” acknowledges the role of mothers in raising their children: “Whose hands have cherished, whose love has blest/And cradled fair sons on her faithful breast”. 

The love and tender feelings of a mother for her child are brought out in “At Dawn” and “To My Children”. In the poem “In the Night”, a loving mother sings, “Sleep, O my little ones, sleep/Safe till the daylight be breaking”. She also presents a picture of a freedom-loving mother in the poem “To My Children”, who sings to her children, “Learn to conquer, learn to fight/In the foremost flanks of right”.

However, aware that advocating for the equality of sexes was controversial at that time, Naidu carefully framed her arguments. At the Bombay Special Congress on September 1, 1918, she presented a resolution stating, “Women possessing the same qualifications as are laid down for man in any part of the scheme shall not be disqualified on account of sex”. 

She also moved a resolution on women’s franchise at the 18th session of the Bombay Provincial Conference in Bijapur, arguing “from a national point of view” for women’s right to vote. She was convinced that “it is for the honour of the nation that the Indian womanhood, day after day, comes to the gate of death so that the Indian people may be born a million times free”. 

In her many speeches delivered on different occasions, Naidu outlined her vision of India’s future women and took up the cause of their emancipation. In an address to students in Jullundur delivered in what she called her “imperfect Urdu”, she said, “Break open the cage of bigotry and fly out with a sacred fire in your hearts. Yes, that sacred fire will undo all the fetters that bind you. With that sacred fire of liberty in your hearts you will march towards the goal apace. Woman will be your guardian angel. She will cheer you up when you are gloomy. She will be your support in desolation. She will be a light when you are in darkness. The liberty of the soul will be India’s share only when woman is free.” 

Her words on the importance of women’s role in shaping the nation remain as relevant today as they were in her time.

From singing robes to soldier’s attire

Sarojini Naidu’s patriotic feelings and devotion to India’s freedom shine forth in many of her poems. In “To India” she says: “Rise, Mother, rise, regenerate from thy gloom/And, like a bride high-mated with the spheres/Beget new glories from thine ageless womb!” Similarly, in “Awake”, she implores the country to rise from her slumber: “Waken, O Mother! Thy children implore thee!/Who kneel in thy presence to serve and adore thee!”

In “The Gift of India”, she pays homage to Indian soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country: “Gathered like pearls in their alien graves/Silent they sleep by the Persian waves”. Naidu has also acknowledged the contribution of some great patriots like Gopal Krishna Gokhale in her poem “In Gokhale’s Garden”, and Bal Gangadhar Tilak in “Lokmanya Tilak”.  

Naidu was already an established poet when she met Gandhi in London in 1914 and became his ardent follower. She joined the Indian National Movement during the protests against the partition of Bengal in 1905. And after returning to India in 1915, she wholeheartedly participated in the freedom struggle and Gandhi’s Satyagraha. However, in her devotion to the cause of India’s freedom her career as a poet suffered. As P.E. Dustoor writes in his book Sarojini Naidu (1961): “She abandoned her singing-robes because she preferred the uniform of the soldier in the war for independence. She put off the poet and put on the patriot.” 

But she channelled her poetic talent into her role as a public speaker and national leader. Using her oratorical prose to great effect, she championed the cause of communal harmony and women’s rights. At the first annual conference of the Madras Presidency Association in 1917, she moved a resolution affirming “that this conference would appeal to the various communities of South India to sink their local differences…and sincerely cooperate with one another for the general uplift of the Motherland.” That same year, at Patna City Students Association, she delivered an impassioned lecture on the need and urgency of Hindu-Muslim unity. 

Post Read Questions

What significance does National Women’s Day hold in commemorating Sarojini Naidu’s legacy?

What was Sarojini Naidu’s vision regarding the role of women in India’s freedom and progress?

How did Sarojini Naidu break barriers for women in politics and governance in India?

How did Sarojini Naidu’s literary contributions complement her political activism?

Why is Sarojini Naidu referred to as the “Nightingale of India”?

(Mohammad Asim Siddiqui is a Professor in the Department of English at Aligarh Muslim University.)

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