cam 1) / owsase to? 1 / (¥ 9 camel haan hele bibl The Gift Of India Psvort ¢ Sarojini Naidu ( 1879 - 1949) | ABOUT THE POET] Sarojini Naidu Was a great patriot, freedom fighter and poet of Modern India. She was born ina Bengali family on February 13, 1879 at Hyderabad and was educated in Chennai, London and Cambridge. She married Dr. Govinda rajulu Naidu and settled down in Hyderabad. She took part in the National Movement, become a follower of Gandhiji and fought for the attainment of Swaraj. She became the president of the Indian National Congress and later she was appointed as the Governor of the United Provinces now Uttar Pradesh. Known as “The Nightingale of India’, she composed poetry in which Swift thoughts and strong emotions sprang into lyrics by themselves. She has given expression to the joys as well as to the sorrows of life. She was sensitive to the beauty of living things. Her poetry includes children’s poems, nature poems, patriotic poems and poems of love and death. Sarojini Naidu’s ‘The Gift of India’ is an emotionally charged response to the nee adh (diers in foreign lands, during the First World War. It is a poem in which Mother fndia 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 the gift o of her children’s lives) —— INTRODUCTION - GENERAL SUMMARY OF THE POEM |— ‘The Gift of India’ brings out the fervent patriotism of Sarojini Naidu. The 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. They died unknown and unlamented and were gathered like pearls in their alien graves... The poem begins with the lamentation of Mother India crying out that though the British had taken over her country and monopolised its resources in terms of Raiments or gold, this loss is nothing compared to the ruthless Killing of her sons who were entrusted ~ to the British cause in the First World War. The invaluable gift of so many lives of our beloved sons to the British can’t be belittled by anybody. The Indians were in no way ‘The Gift Of India 85in the cause or outcome of the war but they were unscrupulously deployed for : e Germans and their allies. pt, Flanders and France, the lands where Indian soldiers were sent to fight for the British cause. The poetess Laer a ein picture of the dead soldiers. The dead soldiers in Sa a ae ns ee ib n “ ves. The poetess laments cea robe, Hae and ‘tho had been torn away from her ae eel The soldiers lying motionless and cold on the gory batilefield are just like the withered flowers scattered in the brown meadows. aed : However, the poetess knows for certain that only our sacred India can be honoured { for having made such a priceless gift to any country. The heart of mother a grieves and only a hopeful prayer can provide her solace. ‘The poetess visualises that soon good sense will prevail in the world when hatred or fear would be replaced by peace and love, 4 Towards the end of the poem, we offer our tribute to the Indian soldiers who had ‘ fearlessly charged at the altar of death. Their glorious deeds will shine like meteors and i puff every Indian with pride. my, —___—_—\_—_|TTHE POEM | Sign Posts ; J * Mother India calls out to the British and asks if she has withheld any of her riches from them. vw Apart from her worldly riches, she has sacrificed the lives of Indian sons to serve the British cause in the First World War. + Mother India laments the loss of the lives of her beloved sons. The soldiers, who went to fight for the British cause, were buried in alien land, The loss of her sons in the war fills her with pain and suffering. involved 0 the benefit of the English against th The poetess alludes to Persia, Eg: . She wants the world to be free from violence and aggression. She asks the people to respect and honour the tiattyred sons. = ee wou, _THE POEM IN DETAIL / PARAPHRASE beaph Utable 3 Is there ought ou need that my hands withhold," ; ee wah 8 ai 7 , WV evn Rin ais of lefit of grain or gold? Lo! hive Put the East and the West Pricélé treasure torn from my breast, ,..._ i luduave And yielded the sons of my stricken womb 5” 5 : Mother India calls out to the British and asks them if : ‘ she has kept back any of her Tiches from them like gold, grains or garments. This is a warning to the Britishers as they 86 Reverie Notes-cum-workbookwere exploiting Indha’s nchness They had Mhanopaliged its reormneee in leriris A fiatevenils gran or gold. She exclaims that more than these riches, she has oat rificed ty the Best wnt the West the lives of priceless Indian sons She has given her sine bors til if ber watts to serve the British cause in the First World Wat To the drum-beats of the duty, the sabers of dour. Gathered like pearls in their alien graves 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 These lines are emotionally surcharged with the sentiments of the poctess wowaees our martyrs and the saentice of the sony of the Indian soil. During this period India wae still squirming under the atrogitics of the Brush rule, She accuses Brush for using Indians as pawns in the war Mother India laments the loss of the lives of her sons, wie were sent to the foreign countries to fight for the British. They obeyed the cal] of Gury and sacnficed their lives. The poetess presents a heart rending picture of the patheuc dead soldiers through touchingly apt similes. The lifeless soldiers in their graves ina foreign land of Persia were like pearls strewn in abundance along the shores by the waves. The soldiers on the Egyptian soil with severed limbs, distorted and mutilated body resembled the shells that had been deserted by the living creatures within them. The soldiers lying movonless and dishe velled on the blood-stained battlefield with their beauty stnpped off by the handiwork of destiny are likened to the withered beauty of flowers. scattered on the blood-brown meadows of Flanders and France. Can ye measure the grief of the tears I weep Or compass the woe of the watch I keep? Or the pride that thrills thro’ my heart's despair And the hope that comforts the anguish of prayer? And the far sad glorious vision I see Of the torn red banners of victory? The heart of mother India is heavy with the immeasurable sorrow and gnef she has suffered. The poetess laments for the unfortunate womb of Mother India that had bore those sons and who had been torn away from her bosom so heartlessly, Atthe sanve time, the pride at her sons’ heroism overwhelms her despair. Hopeful prayer is the only sense of solace, while our hearts burdened with overwhelming sorrow swell with pride at the thought of our valiant soldiers. Mother India hopes that while she prays tor peace and love to take over hatred and terror, she hopes peace would be the order of the day in the shattered world. This thought seems to be her ray of light at the end ot the gory, dark ‘The Gift Of India x"y s successful war of independence woul Se ie a a life of the Indians will be remodetleg - hinciraed arena peace. India’s banner will fly high depicting the glory ang oe iad will be achieved by the heroic deeds of the martyrs. : When the terror and the tumult of hate shall cease : And life be refashioned on anvils of peace, oy And your Tove shall offer memorial thanks To the comrades who fought on the dauntless ranks, And you honour | the deeds of, the dauntless ones, Remember the blood of my martyred sons! g Mother India Hopes that one day the surge of hate and terror will come to an end. People will realise the value of Peace. Soon everyone will be relieved of the Scars of war, The future generation will be told the glorious story of the war, keeping aside the gory tale of agony and despair. Cenotaphs will be built in memory of the martyrs and People will gather there to Pay a tribute to them. Mother India teminds the future generation to love and honour the heroic deeds of these Martyrs who shed blood for their country. Their names, engraved in history with the indelible ink of their own blood will speak volumes of their greatness for many generations to come. {Word Meanings} —______ One : To hold (something) back. ‘aiment : Clothing, garments. ch gifts of Raiment or grain or gold : Here refers to India’s richness in material resources, Dauntless : Very brave, Lol 2 Used to call attention something. Tom red banners of victory : Victory gained at the Cost of Indian soldiers’ blood. Flung : Thrown or Pushed (something) in a sudden and forceful way. And your love....ranks : When the world will Pay tribute to the martyrs. East & West : East refers to the Eastern Countries such as Persia, West refers to the Countries such as France and Flanders (Belgium) Tumult + State of noisy confusion or disorder, i Reverie Notes-cui M-Workbook