Sarojini Naidu

Sarojini Naidu, known as the “Bulbul-e-Hind”, was a  born in Hyderabad on February 13th, 1879 into a Bengali family. Her family migrated to Hyderabad in 1878 where her father, Dr. Aghorenath Chattopadhyaya, was asked by Nawab Mahboob Ali Khan Nizam VI to improve the education system. Dr. Chattopadhyaya was so successful that he was later recognized as the father of education in Hyderabad State. 

Sarojini Naidu grew up in luxury with English and French governesses, and a Persian teacher for her second language in school. She passed the matriculation examination of Madras University at the age of 12, and had already read Shelley, Tennyson and Browning by the time she was 14. Nizam VI was so impressed by her play in English, “Meher Muneer”, that he granted her a foreign scholarship with first class passage in 1895.

In England, she was the ward of Miss Manning, who was a pioneer for Indian students in England. Sarojini was admitted to Girton College at 18, but found university life boring. Due to ill-health, she left college for health resorts in Italy and Switzerland.

Years later, she published three volumes of poetry, with “The Bird of Time” being her most mature work. Sir Edmund Gosse, a well-known critic, praised it as having almost nothing that could be called into question. In September of 1898, Sarojini married Dr. M.G. Naidu and returned to Hyderabad.

Sarojini became involved in politics and fought for the unity of Hindus and Muslims, political equality for Indian women, and self-government. She attended the second Round Table Conference in London and was very close to the Nehru family. Sarojini also served as the Governor of West Bengal.