Sarojini Naidu
Sarojini Naidu was born in the family of the Chattopadyaya who originally came from Bengal and lived in Hyderabad. All the great scholars in Hyderabad gathered around her father who was a great scholar. His devotion to truth was such that he expressed his opinions boldly.
At first Sarojini did not like to learn English but her father persuaded her to learn English. So, she began learning it with such love that she developed a liking for it and began to write poems in English. She studied for her Matriculation at Madras and she passed the examination when she was only thirteen and stood first in the Presidency.
Her weak and failing health compelled her to go back to Hyderabad and spend a couple of years at home. Her love of learning was so great that her father sent her to England. In England her poems attracted the attention of learned Men. Her love for her country and tender feelings for all ‘beautiful things were passionately expressed in these poems.
On her return to India, she married Dr. Naidu of Madras. She had already become famous as a poet and soon she began travelling all over India to talk on the need for the social freedom of women. She was a forceful speaker.
She spoke vehemently against the evil practices of child marriage and oppression of women. In 1914, she met her Master, as she used to describe Mahatma Gandhi. She met Mahatma Gandhi in London before the First world war.
Gandhiji drew her into the main stream of the struggle for freedom.She began to attend the meetings of the Indian National Congress. Her voice rang through out the country. She led a party of men and women to Dandi where grandhiji launched his salt satyagraha. She was arrested and taken to jail. She went to jail several times.
Sarojini nursed Gandhiji through all the anxious days whenever he fasted for the country. She had a great sense of humour and the ability to make people laugh and forgot their immediate worries. She was the first women to hold the distinguished post of the Governor of Uttar-Pradesh in free India. She was so simple, gentle, charming and dignified.
When the Nation was shocked by the: assassination of Gandhiji her words were encouraging to the people She said, ”We are Gandhiji’s soldiers. Though his voice will not speak again, have we not a million, million voice to bear his message to the world here and now?” She was the first great woman working for the social unity and political strength of India.
