Sarojini Naidu
Sarojini Naidu was born on the 13th of February 1879 in Hyderabad. Her father Aghorenath Chattopadhyay held a doctorate from Edinburgh University and served as principal of Nizam College. Her mother Barada Sundari Devi wrote poetry in Bengali. The family lived in a well-regarded household within the city. Sarojini passed her matriculation examination in 1891 at just twelve years old. She earned the highest rank available for university study that year. This early academic success set the stage for her future travels abroad.
From 1895 to 1898 she studied in England under a scholarship from the Nizam of Hyderabad. She attended King's College London before moving to Girton College Cambridge. Her first book appeared in London in 1905 titled The Golden Threshold. Edmund Gosse suggested its publication while Arthur Symons provided an introduction. John Butler Yeats drew a sketch of her as a teenager wearing a ruffled white dress for the frontispiece. Critics called her the most accomplished living poet in India by 1919. Her work blended British Romantic traditions with Indian nationalist politics.
Beginning in 1904 Naidu became an increasingly popular orator promoting independence and women's rights. She addressed the Indian National Congress and the Indian Social Conference in Calcutta during 1906. Her social work for flood relief earned her the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal in 1911. She later returned this medal in protest over the April 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre. In 1914 she met Mahatma Gandhi who inspired a new commitment to political action. This meeting marked a turning point in her public life and career trajectory.
In 1917 Naidu sponsored the establishment of the Women's Indian Association. That same year she served as spokesperson for a delegation meeting Edwin Montagu and Lord Chelmsford. The group demanded that people of India should be given the right to vote including women. The resulting Government of India Act of 1919 did not enfranchise Indian women directly. It left the decision to provincial councils instead. Between 1921 and 1930 provincial councils approved franchise but with severe limitations. The number of women actually eligible to vote remained very small despite these efforts.
After 1917 Naidu joined Gandhi's satyagraha movement of nonviolent resistance against British rule. In 1930 she persuaded Gandhi to allow women to join the Salt March alongside Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay and Khurshed Naoroji. When Gandhi was arrested on the 6th of April 1930 he appointed Naidu as leader of the campaign. She faced imprisonment multiple times throughout her activism. The British jailed her again in 1942 for participation in the Quit India Movement. This stint lasted twenty-one months before her release.
Following independence from British rule in 1947 Naidu became governor of United Provinces. This appointment made her India's first woman governor. Her health deteriorated substantially after returning from New Delhi on the 15th of February 1948. Bloodletting was performed on the night of the 1st of March following a complaint of severe headache. She collapsed after a fit of cough and died at 3:30 p.m. IST on the 2nd of March 1949. Her last rites were performed at the Gomati River.
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Common questions
When was Sarojini Naidu born and where?
Sarojini Naidu was born on the 13th of February 1879 in Hyderabad. Her father Aghorenath Chattopadhyay held a doctorate from Edinburgh University and served as principal of Nizam College.
What were the key literary achievements of Sarojini Naidu?
Her first book appeared in London in 1905 titled The Golden Threshold. Critics called her the most accomplished living poet in India by 1919 for work that blended British Romantic traditions with Indian nationalist politics.
How did Sarojini Naidu contribute to women's voting rights in India?
In 1917 Naidu sponsored the establishment of the Women's Indian Association and demanded that people of India should be given the right to vote including women. The resulting Government of India Act of 1919 did not enfranchise Indian women directly but left the decision to provincial councils instead.
Why is Sarojini Naidu known for her role during the Salt March?
In 1930 she persuaded Gandhi to allow women to join the Salt March alongside Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay and Khurshed Naoroji. When Gandhi was arrested on the 6th of April 1930 he appointed Naidu as leader of the campaign.
When did Sarojini Naidu die and what caused her death?
She collapsed after a fit of cough and died at 3:30 p.m. IST on the 2nd of March 1949. Her last rites were performed at the Gomati River following severe health deterioration after returning from New Delhi on the 15th of February 1948.