The Gift of India Sarojini Naidu (1879-1949) SER Naidu (1879-1949) IntRopuction i L sarojini Naidu was a great Patriot, freedom fi she was born in a Bengali family on February educated in Chennai, London and Cambridge. Naidu and settled down in Hyderabad. She took ighter and poet of modern India. 13, 1879 at Hyderabad and was She married Dr. Govindarajulu Part in the National Movement, Known as the ‘Nightingale of India’, she composed poetry in which swift thoughts and strong emotions sprang into lyrics by themselves. She has to the joys as well as to the sorrows of life. She was sensitive living things. Her poetry includes children’s poems, nature poems, and poems of love and death. given expression to the beauty of , patriotic poems Sarojini Naidu’s The Gift of India is an emotionally charged response to the martyrdom of Indian soldiers in foreign lands, during the First World War. It is a poem in which Mother India herself speaks of the love, devotion and heroism of her children. She speaks of the precious gifts that she has offered to the world, the most important being the gift of her children’s lives. | Tue Porm Signposts » Mother India asks the British, who have colonised India, if she has withheld any of her riches from them like raiments, grain or gold. > She has given away from her bosom her priceless treasures (alluding to Indian sons) to the Eastern and the Western countries. Scanned with CamScanner) | > Her brave offspring have often been summoned abroad to the call of a > The dead bodies of Indian soldiers who have sacrificed their lives like Peas, lie buried in alien lands — they are scattered like shells on Egyptian sands! they sleep silently along the Persian waves, and like withered fowerg aul scattered over the meadows of Flanders and France. > Her grief at the loss of her sons is immeasurable. > Her pride at her sons’ heroic deeds surpasses her heart’s despair, > The loss of her sons’ lives fills her with pain and suffering, yet she hopeg for a-future where there will be no hate and terror. > She wishes of a world free from war where life will be refashioned and filleg| | with peace. > Mother India asks the people to respect and honour the deeds of her “martyreq | sons”. % The Poem in Detail Lines 1-5 Mother India calls out to the British, who have colonised India, and asks if she has withheld any of her riches from them like garments, grain or gold. She exclaims that more than these worldly riches, she has sacrificed to the East and the West the lives of her priceless Indian sons. She has given up the sons born out of her womb to serve the British cause in the First World War. Lines 6-12" Mother India laments the loss of the lives of her beloved sons i.e., the Indian soldiers, who were sent to foreign countries by the British to fight for them. She alludes to Persia (now Iran), Egypt, Flanders (Belgium) and France, the specific lands wherein the Indian soldiers were sent to war by the British. They obeyed the call of duty (drum-beats of the duty) and sacrificed their lives (sabers of doom). The Indian soldiers who fought for the Allies during the First World War never came back home, and like pearls, the lifeless soldiers lie buried in graves in alien lance Some of them sleep silently along the shores in Persia, while others are sc like broken shells on Bgyptian sands. Still other brave Indian soldiers wy brows and broken hands lie scattered like flowers on the blood-by of Flanders (Belgium) and France. It means that the soldiers ww much that even the fields were coloured by their blood. attered ith pale Town meadows ere bleeding so Scanned with CamScannerpines 19-18 Mother India rhetorically puts forward the ne grief she has at the loss of her martyred sons. The grief po on measure at the same time, the pride at her sons’ heroism over ho eee ohare But pears immeasurable pain in giving away her dear ee her despair. She put she hopes that this pain in her heart while she prays a pie demand. one day hate and terror will come to an end and this crane oe garojini Naidu, is here hoping that a succgssful war of in os Sher. The poet, waged by the Indians against the British, ¥ Signified by the loon te cee for which she feels “glorious”. But at the same time she feels sad for ‘eerie who were going to die for the cause’ as signified by the banners bein “tom and coloured by blood. ig torn and question whether an Lines 19-24 Mother India hopes that one day terror and hate shall cease and it is then that life will be remodelled with new found peace. Mother India at the end demands only one thing from the British that when out of love they will offer thanks and respect to the soldiers who fought valiantly, they should remember the brave soldiers of India who sacrificed their lives. ore i } ha fs a withhold: to hold (something) back. soldiers, who sacrificed their lives : ring the Fi ld War. raiment: clothing, garments. during the First World War. poe : yielded: produced or provided. Rich gifts of raiment or grain or gold: here : refers to India’s richness in material 07S of my stricken womb: sons of Mother India’s sorrowful womb. . (sorrowful because the sons borne of Lol: used to call attention to something. her womb have been torn away from her bosom ruthlessly to serve the British cause in the First World War. resources. flung: thrown or pushed (something) in a sudden and forceful way. drum-beats of the duty: refers to the call to the Indian soldiers, who were duty bound to serve the British in their wars fought in foreign countries. East and the West: East refers to the Eastern countries such as Persia; West refers to the countries such as France and Flanders (Belgium). sabers: long, heavy swords with curved Priceless treasures: refer to the Indian blades, Soe Scanned with CamScannersabers of doom: metaphorical expression signifying how war led to the ruin and death of the Indian soldiers fighting for the British. alien graves: Indian soldiers’ graves in foreign lands such as in Persia or Egypt. pale brows: brows are yellow because they are dead. strewn: scattered. blossoms: flowers, especially of a fruit tree. mown downy destroyed or killed Ue ie peat aumabers| AP” as ti le. blood-brown meadows: meadows that have turned brown from the blood of the soldiers. dows: usually flat areas of land that ‘are covered with tall grass. ye: you. compass: comprehend. woe: a feeling of great pain or sadness. anguish of prayer: pain in her heart while praying. SE a sad glorious vision: refers to her visi of true freedom which India wou attain from the British, but it is Sad because it would also result is Jog, of the lives of many Indian soldiers, torn red banners of victory: victory gaineg at the cost of Indian soldiers’ bloog tumult: a state of noisy confusion o, — disorder. cease: end anvils: heavy iron blocks on which heated metal is shaped by hitting it with a hammer. And life will be refashioned on anvils of peace: on an anvil a metal is shaped; similarly once the pain and suffering gets over, life will be refashioned and filled with peace. “And your love ... ranks”; when the world will pay tribute to the martyrs. comrades: fellow soldiers. dauntless: very brave. “Remember the blood of my martyred sons!”: Remember to pay homage to the “martyred sons” of India, who sacrificed their lives and died unknown in foreign lands. ‘THEME = ae a Patriotism: Sarojini Naidu’s poetry is known for bringing out the depth of o her patriotism serve her natio her fervent pat for her country i., India. It is believed that she nn with her songs. Sarojini Naidu’s The Gift of India riotism. The poem is believed to have been written wished to brings out fo attract WEE Scanned with CamScannerthe attention of the world to the brave soldiers of India, who sacrificed their jives in different wars fought by the British during the First World War. (me poem evokes a sense of pride as well as grief at the loss of a number of Indian soldiers, who laid down their lives in the First World War. In this poem, Sarojini Naidu has personified Mother India, whose heart bleeds for her sons, who have been torn away from her bosom ruthlessly and deployed jn foreign lands to serve British interests. the Indian soldiers displayed their strength and courage on different battlefronts fighting for the Allied forces in the First World War. They died unknown and unlamented and were “gathered like pearls in their alien graves.” Sarojini Naidu has portrayed a heart rending picture of the dead soldiers in the battlefield. They have been depicted as lying motionless with severed limbs, resembling the shells that had been deserted by the living creatures within them. Their motionless and dishevelled bodies on the bloodstained battlefield have been compared with the withered beauty of flowers scattered in a sun parched meadow. She believed that prayer was the only source of hope and solace for the anguished hearts that were filled with overwhelming sorrow at the loss of Indian soldiers in war. As a true patriot, who wanted to see her country free from the shackles of the British rule, Sarojini Naidu visualised that good sense would prevail in the world and hatred would not take a toll of human lives. The only tribute that could be paid to those dead soldiers is not to forget the sacrifice they made for the cause of freedom. Thus, the poem ‘The Gift of India’ is emotionally surcharged with the sentiments of the poet towards;the martyrs and the valiant sacrifice made by the sons of the Indian soil/// 1, Form and Structure: The Gift of India is a 24 lines poem without any stanza divisions, Each line rhymes with its next line, so the rhyme scheme comes out to be aabbcc...ee. Some of the rhyming words are withhold, gold; west breast; cease, peace; Ones, sons, etc. The poem personifies the county India as a mother, who sorrowfully yet proudly laments the loss of her sons for the British cause in the First World War. The words and phrases such 2 “Priceless treasures torn from my breast,” « of my stricken womb,” and “martyred sons” clearly establish the mothe relationship. ¥ ‘sons T-son, —— Scanned with CamScanneree 2. Poetic Devices: The poem runs on a number of poetic devices used eff @ (i) (iii) (iv) ) (vi) ‘tive, Personification: A figure of speech in which abstract ideas are ‘aa with personality, and both inanimate and abstract ideas are a ont with the attributes of living beings. The poem runs on a series of personified images, where country 2 is endowed with the attributes and feelings of a mother. The mo} India speaks in first person and laments the loss of her “martyred Song: For example, India as a mother calls the Indian soldiers as “priceles, treasures” torn from her breast. Other examples of personification are: ig © Is there ought you need that my hands withhold, © Can ye measure the grief of the tears I weep Or compass the woe of the watch I keep? © Remember the blood of my martyred sons! Similes: A figure of speech in which a likeness between two different things is stated in an explicit way, using the words ‘as’ or ike’, © Gathered like pearls in their graves. © Scattered like shells on Egyptian sands. ® they are strewn like blossoms mown down by chance. Metaphors: A figure of speech in which a comparison between two different things is implied, but not clearly stated © The Indian soldiers are com; pared to “priceless treasures torn from | my (India’s) breast” | Alliteration: It is the close rep. tition of consonant sou: i nds, the beginning of words, as in: Is, usually at ® Silent they sleep by the Persian waves, © Scattered like shells on Egyptian sands, © They lie with pale brows and brave, broken hangs Oxymoron: It is a figure of speech in which appar 7 é terms appear in conjunction. For example; ‘Pparently contradictory @ And the far sad glorious vision I see Rhetorical Question: it is a question asked in order io creat effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer, ‘© @ dramatic ief of the tears 1 e measure the grie! wee : ane the woe of the watch I keepp Oe Scanned with CamScanner_ smagery: Sarojini Naidu’s poetry is known for its use of images which stand for a whole range of experience and vision. “Poetic imagery is the artistic and effective use of langunge to help the reader get something of the feel and vision of the poet-artist at work," and this is what Naidu excelled at. The Gift of India is fled with such imagery, and use of similes and metaphors play pivotal role in creating of images in her poctry. visual Imagery age of the dead Indian soldiers “gathered like pearls in their alien is highly visual and pathetic. Images of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the British cause in the First World War are moving and pictorial: Silent they sleep by the Persian waves, Scattered like shells on Egyptian sands, They lie with pale brows and brave, broken hands, they are strewn like blossoms mown down by chance On the blood-brown meadows of Flanders and France Auditory Imagery The soldiers moving to the call of “the drum-beats of the duty” is an example of auditory imagery. 4 p Colour Imagery Promo | im pa poor The poem also abounds in colour i ef The richness of material resources fh of India — snatched by British is symbolised by gold, which is not only a tte metal but a colour symbolising_tradition. Also the pearl like Indian soldiers are dead, their brows have now turned pale, the beautiful coloured flowers C+ have now withered away and the meadows of Flanders and France have turned blood-brown. Moreover, the red banners of victory symbolise the victory gained at the cost of Indian blood. The colour imagery of red is also prominent in the last line when mother India asks to remember the blood of her martyred sons. CriTICAL REMARKS | re | The title The Gift of India is apt as the poem focuses on the priceless of Indian sons given as gift to Allied forces during the First World War. poem begins with Mother India crying out that though the British had Scanned with CamScannera nopolised its resources in terms of raiments, ficant in comparison to the ruthless killing ve the self-assumed rulers of India taken over her country and mo grain or gold, the loss is insigni of her sons who were duty bound to sei ie, the British. y lives of Indian soldiers entrusted to the British cause in the First World War can never be undermined. With broken hands, pale brows, far away from home, the dead bodies of these soldiers lie in alien graves. It is hard to measure the grief of those mothers who gave their sons to be sacrificed in the war for the sake of the British. Mother India believes that the sacrifices made by Indian soldiers would create a world devoid of hate and terror. Love, respect and honour will be inextricable part of this new world, laid on the foundation of the gift of India — the blood of her martyred sons. Losing these priceless gems thus fills Mother India’s heart with immeasurable sorrow and grief. The title of the poem is thus appropriate as no other gift could be as valuable as lives of India’s “martyred sons.” The precious gift of so man 2. Background of the Poem: Over one million Indian troops from Britain's colonial empire served in the British Army in the First World War. Nearly 75,000 died on foreign lands — referred by Naidu as pearls gathered in alien graves. The Indian troops were of vital significance in many battles of the First World War and served not only in the Ypres sector of the Western Front but also in Mesopotamia and Gallipoli. There were large number of Indian soldiers who travelled from India to fight in the trenches of France and Belgium. Everywhere, be it Persia, Egypt, Flanders or France, Indian sons sacrificed their lives for the British cause, and thus Naidu says for them: Silent they sleep by the Persian waves, Scattered like shells on Egyptian sands, They lie with pale brows and brave, broken hands, they are strewn like blossoms mown down by chance On the blood-brown meadows of Flanders and France Mother India: The poem has personified the country India as th fh © mother “ all its people. The boundless grief of Mother India fo: eroic sons, | The s ia for her heroi ho were killed in alien lands, is expressed in the poem. One : ; - of the criti critics which represents itself as laughters as q real mother mentioned that “It is India only, the great India, eternal Mother India, who loves her sons and d; doe: sarojini Naidu has presented Mother India in a unique and where she considers the precious lives of her sons Unforgettable way y : ; S her gifts to the British. eee Scanned with CamScannerY ne : qhe British cannot measure the grief encompassing her in losing the sons of her stricken womb. They cannot estimate the 2 despair of her heart, yet she is aeeeea ie alias ei i true freedom, where “the terror and the tumult of hate shal cease”, Desp it josing her numerous sons in the battlefield she is hopeful and believes life will become anew on “anvils of peace”, The only request she makes to the British is that the brave Indian soldiers, who died for their cause should be a remembered and honoured till the world lives. eZ : : - & Z/ati-War Poem: Ever since the time of the Ancient Greeks, literature has glorified war-heroes. They have made the war seem like a worthwhile, honourable and romantic endeavour. For the most part, war, although tragic, was viewed as necessary and, in many ways, romantic. This notion was shattered at the beginning of the 20th century by the horrors of the First World War, termed as the ‘Great War’. This war brought about a great change in the minds of Westerners, who had grown accustomed to the rosy pictures painted by the Romantic and the Victorian authors, painters and poets. The number of deaths caused by the Great War, the inhumane nature of trench warfare, introduction of new deadly chemical weapons such as the chlorine gas and the mustard gas, the conditions under which soldiers were made to live and fight, appeared to be the antithesis of what civilised existence was supposed to be. Sarojini Naidu’s The Gift of India though a patriotic poem, can be read as an anti-war poem at one level. Naidu through this poem has depicted the horrors of war through the brutal killings of the Indian soldiers in the First World War. These Indian soldiers were used as pawns in the war by the British. ‘They were in no way involved in the cause or the outcome of the war but they were unscrupulously deployed for the benefit of the British. These soldiers fought in alien lands and died on the battlefield. They could never reunite with their country and their families. Their dead bodies lay lifeless like the shells scattered on sands. Their severed limbs and dishevelled, bloodstained bodies are proof enough of the horrors of war, which these soldiers had to face, Thus, the immeasurable grief of Mother India in the poem reflects Naidu’s anti-war attitude, Throughout the poem, war is not glorified but condemned. Mother India throughout, laments the loss of her children. Mother India’s crying over the toss of Indian soldiers can be seen as a reflection of every mother lamenting the loss of her martyred son. The soldiers, their families are thus the victims of any war encompassing loss and bloodshed. She aaa @ day when the world would be free from hatred and agonies of war and life would be modelled on the new found peace. Scanned with CamScannerQu. Analyse The Gift of India as a patriotic poom filled with deep lov, = motherland. Ans. The Gift of India’ is a patriotic poem, highly surcharged with the Sentimen, of Sarojini Naidu towards the Indian soldiers, who sacrificed their lives for the British cause during the First World War. Sarojini Naidu wrote this Poet in 1915, when India was colonised by the British and who had USUTped the sovereignty of India: It was through this poem that Sarojini Naidu Wanted to pay a tribute to the martyred Indian soldiers and arouse the spirit of nationalism among the Indians. In this poem, Sarojini Naidu has lent voice to her Patriotic fervour by Personifying Mother India. Being a patriot and a mother herself, Sarojini Naidu has beautifully expressed the feelings of pride for her valiant sons as well as agony at the loss of their lives, Loss of Material Resources: In the very beginning of the poem, Mother India laments the loss of India’s resources, which the British were exploiting for their own selfish interests and depriving the Indians of their own wealth Mother India asks the British if she has withheld any of her resources from them like the richest of garments, food or gold. She exclaims that more than these worldly riches, she has given the sons born out of her womb to serve the British war cause. Here, the poet is indirectly telling the world how the British are exploiting India’s “priceless treasures” in the form of both men and material resources. Loss of Sons: In the next few lines line 6 to 12), the poet has poignantly described the pain and agony of the mother, whose sons have been snatched away from her and sacrificed at the altar of war. Here, Mother Indi claims that the she has generously given her material wealth but her heart bleeds for her brave sons, who have been taken away from her ruthlessly and deployed in foreign lands to serve the British interests. The poet refers yo ee Indian soldiers, who died in Persia, Egypt, Belgium and France during the First World War. These sons of India were in no way involved in the cause or the outcome of the war but being the employees of the British government in India, they were duty bound to obey the commands of their self-assumed ters. They were not even given proper burial — their bodies lay in “alien alae They lay on alien land lifeless like a shell that hes been abandonen a i animal in it or like withered flowers. Scanned with CamScannerMother India sheds tenrs of grief on seeing how brutally her offspring have been filed ta tc severed limbs and dishevelled, bloodstained bodies. she asks if anybody could measure the grief in her heart at the loss she has suffered or make an estimate of the pride that runs along the despair of her heart, the pride at the sacrifices made by her valiant sons. Longing for Freedom: The patriotic urges are further depicted in the poem | through Mother India’s longing for freedom from foreign rule. She defines | it as her “sad glorious vision.” This suggests that Mother India hopes that her sons would wage a war of independence against the British and free her from the yoke of British rule and that is why her vision is described as “glorious”. But at the same time she is sad at the thought of losing her sons for this cause. Call to Honour her Martyred Sons: Finally, she hopes for a day when hatred and war would cease; life would be fashioned on the model of peace and no mother would have to shed tears at the loss of her sons. She asks the British to remember the, sacrifices made by the valiant sons of India when they offer thanks to the soldiers who fought bravely in the First World War. Thus, The Gift of India’ is indeed a patriotic poem filled with deep love for the motherland: It was. written during India’s freedom struggle to arouse nationalist sentiments among the Indians. It is indirectly a call for all Indians to remember with’ love and honour the heroic deeds of the martyrs, who sacrificed their lives so that our. motherland can be freed from the British rule. ASSIGNMENTS Question 1 (a) Discuss how is the poem, ‘The Gift of India’ both a lament and pride for Mother India. (\- ae [8] “the Gift of India’ by Sarojini Naidu is’both a lament and pride for Mother Tadlacee See ee NS ied this poem, the Po Nay Hee aie the loss-of her son: fe 3) world Ware 0 : eee at how her sons have been ruthlessly snatched away e is appalled ; na thless cea ner and made pawns in the First World War by the British. et has personified the country India as the mother s in the battlefields during the First Scanned with CamScannerese sons of Mother India were deployed in foreign lands to serve the British interests. They fought bravely and died fighting in Persia, Egypt, Belgium and France. = She is horrified and grief-stricken at the disrespect shown to the dead bodies of these soldiers, who died in the battlefield. They were not given Proper burial and their bodies with severed limbs lay in alien lands like a shell that has been abandoned by the animal in it or like withered flowers. She feels proud at the valiant sacrifice made by the sons of the Indian soil. The only tribute that she would like to be paid to her martyred sons is that their sacrifice should not be forgotten. Scanned with CamScannera = (b) Sarojini Naidu’s The Gift of India can be read as an anti-war poem, p, you agree? Why? (/_ ¢ 16 HINTS Literature has glorified war, but this poem is different. Here, war is not glorified but condemned. The Gift of India brings out the horrors of First World War: War is tragic and deadly. Portrayal of Mother India’s grief at thé loss of her valiant sons in the | First World War. g * The horrific images of dead Indian soldiers in alien lands. Scanned with CamScanner(c) How apt is the title of the poem ‘The Gift of India’? |) /—) [6] HINTS ‘The Gift of India’ is an apt title for the poem by Sarojini Naidu. ‘The entire poem revolves around the priceless lives of Indian soldiers, who fought for the British during the First World War. Mother India tells the British that she has not withheld any of her riches from them. But more than these worldly riches, she has gifted them her valiant sons to serve their cause in the First World War. These Indian soldiers were ruthlessly snatched away from her and thrust into the battlefield as if they were the pawns of the British. Scanned with CamScannerScanned with CamScannerLONG ANSWER QUESTIONS 1. Sarojini Naidu’s The Gift of India ‘commemorates the sacrifices made by her countrymen.” Elucidate. [20] 2. Discuss the relationship India has with her people in the context of the poem The Gift of India. [20] Berit acy ae tis Scanned with CamScanner