Literature Project

Rough Draft
Sarojini Naidu
Introduction
Sarojini Naidu (née Chattopadhyay; 13 February 1879 – 2 March 1949), also known by the
sobriquet The Nightingale of India was a poet as well as a prominent figure in the Indian National
movement. She was
an Indian political activist, feminist, and poet. A proponent of civil rights, women's emancipation,
and anti-imperialistic ideas, she was an important person in India's struggle for independence
from colonial rule.
Naidu joined the Indian national movement in the wake of the partition of Bengal in 1905. She
helped to establish the Women's Indian Association (WIA) in 1917. Born in a Bengali family in
Hyderabad, Chattopadhyay was educated in Madras, London, and Cambridge. Following her time
in England, where she worked as a suffragist, she was drawn to the Indian National Congress
movement for India's independence from British rule. She became a part of the Indian nationalist
movement and became a follower of Mahatma Gandhi and his idea of swaraj. She married
Govindarajulu Naidu, a general physician in 1898. She was appointed the President of the Indian
National Congress in 1925 and later became the Governor of the United Provinces in 1947,
becoming the first woman to hold the office of Governor in the Dominion of India. As a poet,
Sarojini Naidu was well known for her intensely lyrical pieces, such as 'In the Bazaars of
Hyderabad', 'Palanquin Bearers' and 'Coromandel Fishers', in which she portrayed the beauty
and variety of India and her traditions. Through her poetry, she tried to arouse a sense of pride
and patriotism in the hearts of her countrymen.

Contribution
In 1925, Naidu was the first female President of the Indian National Congress. In 1927, Naidu was
a founding member of the All-India Women’s Conference. In 1928, she travelled to the United
States to promote nonviolent resistance. Naidu presided over East African and Indian Congress’
1929 session in South Africa.

Critical analysis of her works: -

Palanquin Bearers
‘Palanquin-Bearers’ expresses the joy and pride of palanquin-bearers in carrying a bride to her
husband’s house by sensing a song in rhythmic harmony and footsteps. The bearer carries the
bride with care and considers her as if she is like dew or a teardrop. The theme and imagery are
fused artistically, which leads the poem to a universal appeal. The song sung by the palanquin
bearers narrates basic human emotions and the mind of the bride is controlled by that song. This
poem reveals the Indian reality through folk characters. Palanquin Bearers are depicted as a part
of the Feudal system of Indian life and they glorify their tradition. The poem rightly brings out one
of the facets of the Indian life-the feudal system in India and the Palanquin Bearers as the most
natural part of this system.
 There is a custom of carrying a bride in a palanquin by the palanquin bearers and the poem The
Palanquin Bearers' is so finely woven around this custom, which expresses the joy and pride of the
palanquin bearers in carrying the newlywed princess to her in-law's house and while walking they
are singing along happily.
According to the palanquin bearers, the bride is so light that it feels like the princess is swaying,
like a flower swaying in the wind. She is sitting in the palanquin and is hearing their song.
They consider the royal princess as a privilege instead of a burden to them since she is sitting and
thinking about her future after marriage. Like a flower in the wind, the bride is moving from side
to side.
They say that 'she is like the bird that skims on the foam of a stream' which means that a bird
passes a stream skipping through the foam of the stream and the bride resembles that bird because
she is so delicate to carries.
She carries a mixed feelings as she is leaving her parents behind and moving onto a new phase of
her life. She is happy and contented to live and start a new inning with her beloved.

In The Bazaars of Hyderabad

The poem begins with the speaker, a customer, asking a vendor what he is selling. This person
gives him details regarding the turbans, rich mirrors, and daggers, as well as beautifully stitched
tunics he has for sale. The text progresses quickly to the next stall where the same, or possibly a
new, customer inquiries about the “lentils, rice” and spices being sold. Again, they receive an
appealing description of the items. In the third stanza, the speaker becomes interested in what the
“goldsmith” is making. This stanza is more in-depth as the goldsmith focuses on three different
ways; he treats gold. He is seeking to show off his products and his skill. He can hammer
something thin enough for a pigeon’s leg, or forge something sturdy enough for a king.

In the fourth stanza, the speaker inquires about three different types of instruments and fruits.
These products almost originate from the Indian subcontinent and are added into the piece to
further praise the Indian culture.

The final stanza describes in greater detail than any of the previous stanzas what the materials for
sale are going to be used for. In this section, the speaker asks “flower girls” what they are weaving.
They respond by describing the creation of a crown for a bridegroom and a shroud for someone
recently deceased.

Conclusion
Sarojini Naidu not only did she enrich Indian English poetry through her literary achievements
but also contributed immensely to the Indian freedom struggle. She was writing during the
transitional period from the colonial to the post-colonial era, and thus, her works explore
postcolonial themes like culture and history, as well as the conflicts between the East and the West,
in an aesthetic fashion.
Sarojini Naidu was a poet as well as a patriot, and we see an amalgamation of both these sides of
her personality in her literary works. Naidu was a progressive thinker. Throughout her life, she
advocated civil rights, anti-imperialism, and women’s empowerment. She belonged to the group of
writers who believed in the power of giving Indian sensibilities to English. Naidu, thence, wrote in
English and was one of the first Indian English poets to gain a huge Western audience and positive
criticism.

Bibliography

en.wikipedia.org
mypoeticside.com
poemanalysis.com
www.english-for-students.com
feminisminindia.com
yourstory.com