he Nizam of Hyderabad. Soon her literary side bloomed as she wrote a 1,300-line-long poem The Lady of the Lake. Her father also realised that her true passion lies in poetry and started encouraging her to take it more seriously. Her poetry eschews flowery words and is mostly composed of simple words that could also be sung.
Her work was rich in imagery, covered a variety of themes – love, death, separation among others. Many of her literary works such as The Golden Threshold, The Bird Of Time, The Broken Wing, Autumn Song have been read widely and critically acclaimed. Her valuable contribution to English poetry earned her the sobriquet of ‘The Nightingale of India’.
During her stay in London, Sarojini met Dr. Govindarajulu Naidu, a non-Brahmin and a doctor by profession. After finishing her studies, she got married to him. Inter caste marriages were a taboo at that time but her father, being a progressive thinker allowed her.
Sarojini was drawn into Indian freedom struggle after the partition of Bengal in 1905. She met Gopal Krishna Gokhale who asked her to use her poetry to invigorate passion for independence among masses.
She played a vital role in the Civil Disobedience movement as well as Quit India movement. She was jailed along with Mahatma Gandhi and others. In 1925, she became the second woman President of the Indian National Congress.
She was at the forefront of Civil disobedience in 1930 when Mahatma Gandhi was in jail. In 1931, she participated in the Round Table Summit, along with Mahatma Gandhi and Pundit Malaviya. She also contributed to the drafting of the Indian Constitution.
An exceptional orator
She had a gift of electrifying audiences, and her ability to weave strength into everything she said. She didn’t prepare her speeches. To speak “was as easy for her as it is for fish to swim,” quotes Sarojini Naidu – Her Way With Words, a book based on her works.
Renowned British author and philosopher Aldous Huxley wrote, “It has been our good fortune, while in Bombay, to meet Mrs. Sarojini Naidu, the 