Introduction:
The study of Sarojini Naidu—her life, her poetry, her oratory, her social activism, her political commitment—makes an interesting reading for the students of national reconstruction and Indo-Anglian literature. That Sarojini Naidu was great there is not the least doubt about it, as we have already acquainted ourselves about her life and achievements.
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| Sarojini Naidu's Poetry— Vision and Philosophy of Life |
Makarand Paranjape, discussing her greatness, suggests that "she was a minor figure in a major mode." He points out that "whatever she did was not necessarily profound or significant in itself, it was nevertheless performed on a scale which was truly extraordinary and central to the formation of the Indian nation. She could not sustain this seeming contradiction not only because of the special circumstances in which she lived and which made her qualities rare and sought-after, but because she was truly outstanding in one sphere. Her unusual energy contributed to an extraordinary public presence, which was both dynamic and catalytic."
That is, "her unique greatness lay in aspects of her life and personality which are beyond our access through her written words. The test of Sarojini's greatness was live, not written like that of great…. leaders like Gandhi or Nehru."
Sarojini Naidu was one of the most eloquent and moving orators of her time. Her oratory was remarkable for emotional appeal and sentiment, not for solid thought or argumentation. She was not a great thinker. It was the force of her personality that created the impact. She was perhaps the most effective purveyor of the Sublime, transforming public speaking into poetry. She was an irrepressible and an unorthodox candid person who could poke fun even at Gandhiji himself. Her letters to her children reveal her as a chatty correspondent revelling in caricature and witty gossip.
Sarojini Naidu—A Product of Her Age:
In the early nineteenth century the wave of the Renaissance epitomizing social, political and cultural revival swept across India. The spirit of struggle for freedom from alien rule and liberation from the chains of ignorance, orthodoxy, superstition, dogmatism and backwardness, although at a nascent stage it stirred the minds and hearts of millions of our countrymen, who espoused the cause of our beloved country's freedom, social reform and revival of the pristine glory of India. Many factors were responsible for this awakening. But by far the most powerful factors were the French Revolution and the spirit of nationalism appearing on the horizon of our country. The French Revolution with its lofty ideals of Liberty, Fraternity and Equality rendered the entire country vibrant with patriotic fervour.
Touched by this gust of fresh air from the West and fired with zeal of freedom and patriotism, the young men and women, became eager to imbibe the liberalism which revolutionized Europe. The glare of Enlightenment of the distant West had a mesmerizing effect on our own social reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chand Vidyasagar and Dayanand Saraswati who readily came forward to relieve Hinduism of the slough of ritualism, out- dated customs like caste and Sati. Dayanand emphasized the revival of the Vedic ways of life. It was realized that the impact of Western culture was making deep inroads into our country and was eating into the vitals of our ancient culture. It was, therefore, imperative to revive and revitalize the past glory of Indian culture and stem the tide of the alien culture.
The impact of the new awakening (the Renaissance) was far-reaching an was felt in different walks of life. How could the realm of literature remain untouched by the spirit of the Renaissance? On the horizon of Indo-Anglian Poetry appeared many eminent poets, like Henry Derozio and the Dutt Sisters, who may rightly be called the poet-apostles of the Indian Renaissance. They paved the way for the Indo-Anglian Poetry in a very real sense.
Sarojini Naidu, the Nightingale of India, was deeply influenced by the Indian Renaissance of the later phase. Having drunk deep at the fountain of the Liberalism of the West generated by the Indian Renaissance she sought to embody in her poetry the genuine spirit of the Renaissance.
Sarojini Naidu—Her Vision:
It has already been pointed out that Sarojini Naidu sought to embody the genuine spirit of the Renaissance in her poetry. She wrote about her ambition in a letter to Arthur Symons:
"I am not a poet really. I have the vision and the desire but not the voice. If I could write just one poem, of beauty and the spirit of greatness, I should be exultantly silent forever; but sing just as birds do and my songs are as ephemeral."
Sarojini Naidu wrote not "just one poem of beauty and the spirit of greatness" but a whole lot with a stamp of genuine greatness and abiding beauty. She breathed into her poems grace and grandeur, light and sweetness of Indian culture both in her antiquity and modernity. She may rightly be called a harbinger of the Indian Renaissance and a poet-apostle of our cultural heritage:
"What Yeats did for Ireland in his own time, Sarojini did for India. And to rank her with the great poet that Great Britain has produced in recent years is no mean tribute to the memory of the great daughter of India." — V.K. Gokak
Sarojini Naidu—Her Philosophy:
Early in her career both Arthur Symons and Edmund Gosse exhorted her not to be imitative of the English Romantic poets to be "falsely English" but to strive to "stir the soul of the East." She took the advice in the spirit it was given.
Sarojini Naidu is a poet of great beauty, of many hues and moods. On the one hand, she was wide awake to the events which stirred the conscience of the patriotic Indians, and lent her voice and talent to further the cause of India's freedom. On the other hand, she was the poet who revelled in beauty, love and such delicate and romantic depictions in her poems. Once, Gopal Krishna Gokhale asked her: "Why should a song-bird like you have a broken wing?" The poet's reply, in the fitness of things, came in the form of a poem in the anthology of the same title ("The Broken Wing"):
"Behold! I rise to meet the destined spring
And scale the stars upon my broken wing!"
Sarojini Naidu held Gokhale in very high esteem. To her he was the great saint and soldier of our national righteousness and she desired to have the torch from his hand "to succour and serve our suffering land" (Her poem on Gokhale).
It has rightly been observed that Sarojini Naidu's poems "are the lyrical outpourings of Indian philosophy. Perhaps no other Indo-Anglian poet except Toru Dutt has poetised Indian philosophy—Truth, Destiny and Morality– as lyrically and melodiously as Sarojini Naidu.
In her poem “The Poet to Death”, she expresses her passionate love for life in spite of the unpleasant phenomenon of death— “O Death I cannot die”, is her assertion.
In her poem, "The Indian Gypsy," she depicts a gypsy in his tattered robes, who has drunk at the fountain of austerity. In the poem, "Life at Time's Forgotten Sources", and "Wandering Singers", Sarojini Naidu presents an image of real ascetics whom "No Love bids us carry no joy bids us wait.” Her "Indian Weavers" symbolizes the weaving of the fabric of birth, marriage and funeral. "Guerdon" celebrates the raptures of Love, of Truth and of Song.
Conclusion:
Sarojini Naidu's versatility, precocity, prodigality and genius are very much in evidence in all she did in her purposeful life—writing poetry or prose, fighting for her motherland, campaigning for her causes of freedom movement and emancipation and empowerment of women through her lectures and discourses in India and abroad. She was an Indian to the very marrow of her bones and being an Indian was bound to be philosophical and visionary. Her poetry bears testimony to these facts.
Sarojini Naidu has drunk deep at the limpid stream of Indian culture which has been flowing since time immemorial. As a consequence of her Indianness she breathed into her poetry the very quintessence of this culture. This is the vital and abiding aspect of her poetry which made her "the Nightingale of India" (Bharat Kokila or Bulbul-e-Hind) in the true sense of the term.