Sarojini Naidu birth anniversary celelbrated.

• 13^th February marks the birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu. She was famously known as Bharatiya Kokila (The Nightingale of India).
  • India celebrates Sarojini Naidu’s birth anniversary as National Women’s Day.

About

• Sarojini Naidu, was an Indian independence activist, poet, and politician.
• She was born on February 13, 1879, in Hyderabad, India.
• She joined the Indian national movement in the wake of partition of Bengal in 1905.
• The British government lauded Sarojini Naidu with the ‘Kaisar-i-Hind’ Medal for her service during the plague epidemic in India.

Contribution to Indian Freedom Movement:

• First Indian Woman President of Indian National Congress (INC) in 1925(Kanpur Session).
  • Annie Besant was the first woman President of the INC who presided it in 1917.
• Naidu took part in the Non-Cooperation Movement launched by Gandhi in 1920 and was arrested several times for her involvement in various freedom activities.
• In 1930, Sarojini Naidu led 2,500 marchers on the Dharasana Salt Works, some 150 miles north of Bombay.
• She accompanied Gandhiji to London for the inconclusive second session of the Round Table Conference for Indian–British cooperation (1931).
• In 1942, Sarojini Naidu was arrested during the “Quit India” movement and was jailed for 21 months with Gandhiji.
• She traveled abroad to Raise Awareness about India’s struggle for independence
• She also represented India at various international forums and spoke about the Indian independence movement and women’s rights.
• After India gained independence, Naidu was appointed as the governor of Uttar Pradesh, becoming the first woman to hold a governor’s office in India.
• Literary works–
  • Published in 1912, ‘In the Bazaars of Hyderabad’ remains one of her most popular poems.
  • Other works include “The Golden Threshold (1905)”, “The Bird of Time (1912)”, and “The Broken Wing (1912)”.