Sarojini Naidu

Sarojini Naidu Biography

Sarojini Naidu was an Indian freedom fighter and a poetess. He was the first women to become the president of Indian National Congress and governor of Uttar Pradesh. She was affectionately called as Nightingale of India. She joined Mahatma Gandhi in Salt March to Dandi and led Dharasana Satyagraha.

She was born on 13^th February 1879 in Hyderabad. Her father Aghornath Chattopadhyaya was a scientist and philosopher and founder of Nizam College. Her mother Barada Sundari Devi was a poetess. Her brother Virendranath Chattopadhyaya was also an activist and was involved in Hindu German Conspiracy. Another brother Harindranath Chattopadhyaya was a poet and playwright.

She joined Indian Independence Movement in 1905 and had contacts with Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Muhammed Ali Jinnah, Annie Besant, C. P. Ramaswami Iyer, Nehru, Gandhi and Tagore. She married Muthyala Govindarajulu Naidu after two years love at her age of 19 and had four children Jayasurya, Randheer, Padmaja and Leelamani. Padmaja became Governor of West Bengal later on.

She traveled all over India and gave lectures on labor, women’s emancipation and Indian freedom. She fought for the cause of indigo workers at Champaran. She became the president of Congress in 1925. She went to England in July 1919 as Home Rule League ambassador. She went to New York in October 1928 for the cause of liberation of Amerindians.

She was arrested in 1930 and was jailed for many months and released in 1931. She took part in the Round Table Summit together with Gandhiji and Pundit Malaviyaji. She along with Gandhiji was again arrested for taking part in Quit India movement on 2^nd October 1942 and was imprisoned for 21 months.

After the independence of India she was made as the Governor of United Provinces and became the first woman governor of India. She died of heart attack on 2^nd March 1949. Some of her literary works include The Golden Threshold, The Bird of Time: Songs of Life, Death & the Spring, The Broken Wing: Songs of Love, Death and the Spring, The Feather of Dawn, etc. 

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Updated: September 22, 2011