Sarojini Naidu’s Contribution to Indian English Literature

Sarojini Naidu’s Contribution to Indian English Literature : Sarojini Naidu :- Of all the celebrated women of modern India, Mrs Sarojini Naidu’s name is at the top of English literature in India. Not only that her birth is celebrated as Women’s Day she was born on February 13, 1879. In Hyderabad her father Aghornath Chattopadhyay who was the founder of Nizam college of Hyderabad and a scientist. Her mother Mrs Varasundari was a Bengali poetess. Sarojini Devi inherited qualities from both her father and mother. Sarojini was a very bright and proud girl. Her father aspired for her to become a mathematician or scientist, but she loved poetry from a very early age.

Sarojini Naidu’s Contribution to Indian English Literature

Sarojini Naidu is one of the greatest Indo-Anglian poets. She is appreciated as a great lyricist. Her lyrics are melodious. These lyrics have unsurpassable sweetness and beauty. Due to this Sarojini Naidu got recognition as the ‘Bul Bul e Hind‘. Her Poems have English words, but an Indian soul. Her Poetic sensibility found its best expression in the full flush of womanhood.

Poetry is a pleasure giving medium. This medium is handled by different poets in the world. Most of the poets in India present their poetry in their mother tongue only. Those who present poetry in English languages other their own have not succeeded so well as Sarojini Naidu.

There are no many Indian who have written poetry in English. Among them Sarojini Naidu stands first. Her poems are presented not only in India but all over the world. Though she has written poems on religion, country, women’s freedom, etc. Her poems on nature occupy the first place in her poetry. Even in sorrow her nature poems glow with with a touch of her suffering. To strengthen this idea a detailed discussion is undertaken in this work.

 SAROJINI NAIDU AS A POET

The themes of Naidu’s poems are usually Indian. Her poems on nature occupy the first place in her poetry. Love, life, death,religion, patriotism and women’s freedom occupy prominent place in her poems. The introduction of Indian themes provides a new vitality to her poetry. Her poems are exceptionally admirable to explore the deep philosophy of spiritualism. From the thematic point of view, her poems may be divided into following categories:

1. Nature Poems
2. Love Poems
3. Patriotic Poems
4. Poems of Life and Death
5. Poems of the Indian Scene

Sarojini Naidu’s collections of poems are as follows:

1. The Golden Threshold (1905)
2. The Bird of Time (1912)
3. The Broken Wing (1917)
4. The Feather of Dawn (1961)

Sarojini Naidu’s poetic style is modeled on the lines of ‘Decadent’ poets. Though she follows the great English Poetic tradition, her style is essentially her own. It gives us the impression of individuality. Naidu’s poetry is lyrical and musical. Here she has used many types of meter and rhyme. it is full of imagery. Naidu’s lyrics are poetic cries of joy, sorrow, fervor and exultation. They are imbued with emotional intensity. The fact is that Sarojini Naidu possesses a remarkable command over the English language and prosody. Her poems exhibit a prosodic correctness and regularity.

As a poet Sarojini Naidu was influenced by some great English poets. The influence of Tennyson, Shelley and Browning can easily be seen in her compositions. Even in sorrow, her nature poems glow with a touch. The following lines of her poem ‘Spring’ is a beautiful example of her fantastic expression:

Young leaves grow green on the banyan twigs,
And red on the peepul tree,
The honey-birds pipe to the budding figs,
And honey-blooms call the bee…
Kamala tinkles a lingering foot
In the grove where temple-bells ring,
And Krishna plays on his bamboo flute.

Sarojini Naidu was lyricist who worked on her own inch of ivory. That’s why her poems are appreciated not only on India, but all over the world. She will forever be remembered as the Nightingale of India. Maharshi Arvind, Tagore, Gandhi and Nehru were among the thousands of admirers of her work. At her death Nehru said, ‘And now the dearest and brightest of them has gone. I feel desolate of heart and widowed in spirit.’

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