National Women’s Day: Remembering the Nightingale of India, Sarojini Naidu

National Women's Day: Remembering the Nightingale of India,Sarojini Naidu

13February is commemorated as National Women's Day to remember the Nightingale ofIndia, Sarojini Naidu. She was India's first women governor and also known as"Bharat Kokila." She actively participated in the Indian National Movement forthe independence of the country. A child prodigy, freedom fighter, and leader,Sarojini was also a skilled orator and an exemplary administrator.

Honouringher great work and contribution, the day is also a symbol of celebrating thedevelopment of women's power in India. This proposal of celebration was made bythe Bharatiya Mahila Sangh and the All India Mahila Sammelan.

Early Life and Education

India'sfirst female governor, Sarojini Naidu had born on 13 February 1879 in Hyderabadto Aghore Nath Chattopadhyay and Barda Sundari Devi. She took a 4-year breakfrom studies after passing her 10th standard. She studies at King's College,England and later at Cambridge. When Sarojini was just 19, she metGovindarajulu Naidu, to whom she was married.

Anti-imperialistic,Women's rights activist, Sarojini paved the path for women's movements inIndia. For women's rights and representation in organizations, in 1917, shetook the foundation of the Women's India Association.

In theyear 1925, she became the president of the Indian National Congress. Sarojiniwas one of the forefront leaders who led the Civil Disobedience Movement andthe Quit India Movement. When she graced the United Provinces as Governor in1947, she created history by becoming the first woman to hold the office ofGovernor in the Dominion of India.

WhileSarojini was part of the independence struggle, she travelled to differentparts of the country and gave lectures to create social welfare. Because of heroutstanding work, she was recognized by Britishers and was awarded theKaisar-i-Hind Medal during the plague epidemic in India.

Sarojini'swork towards the development has been commemorated in many educationalinstitutions, including the Sarojini Naidu College for Women, Sarojini Devi EyeHospital, Sarojini Naidu Medical College and Sarojini Naidu School of Arts andCommunication.

NightingaleSarojini Naidu shines both as an activist and as a poet. She had been writingsince she was 12 years old. Some of her famous works include The GoldenThreshold, The Bird of Time: Songs of Life, Death & the Spring, The Magictree, The Indian Weavers, The Broken Wing: Songs of Love. She also wroteseveral poems including Song of a Dream, The Soul's Prayer, To the God of Pain,Indian Dancers and Ecstasy to name a few.

Accomplishments of Sarojini Naidu

• 1905: The Golden Threshold, published in the United Kingdom
• 1912: The Bird of Time: Songs of Life, Death & thespring, published in London
• 1917: The Broken Wing: Songs of Love, Death and the spring,including "The Gift of India"
• 1916: Muhammad Jinnah: An Ambassador of Unity
• 1943: The Sceptred Flute: Songs of India, Allahabad:Kitabistan, posthumously published
• 1961: The Feather of the Dawn, posthumously published,edited by her daughter, Padmaja Naidu
• 1971:The Indian Weavers

Unknown Facts about Sarojini Naidu

1. Sarojini topped the matriculation exam at Madras Universityat the age of 12.
2. As a child, she wrote a 1,300-line-long poem, The Lady of the Lake. When her fatherread her poem, he encouraged her to pursue writing, though he had initiallywanted her to be a scientist or mathematician.
3. Once, she asked her father to help write a Persian play, Maher Muneer. He sent the play to theNizam of Hyderabad. The Nizam was so impressed by 16-year-old-talent that hegranted her a scholarship to study overseas. That's why she went to study atKing's College London.
4. Naidu became the part of the Indian Independence Movement inthe wake of the partition of Bengal in 1905 where she met other leaders likeGopal Krishna Gokhale, Rabindranath Tagore, and Mahatma Gandhi.
5. She fell in love when she was just 19 years old at PaidipatiGovindarajulu Naidu.
6. In the year 1925, she was the second woman to be thePresident of the Indian National Congress and the first Indian woman to do so.

Everyyear, 8 March is celebrated as International Women's Day to commemorate thestruggles of women seeking equality and equal representation. In addition,India celebrates its own Women's day as Sarojini Naidu's Birthday to empowerand support women. When women in the nation are striving hard for equality andgoals, a day to celebrate their success and make people aware of it bring akind of encouragement among people.

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