Page 111 - DENG104_ELECTIVE_ENGLISH_I

Elective English–I

Notes Then in 1916, she met Mahatma Gandhi, and she totally directed her energy to the fight for
freedom. She would roam around the country like a general of the army and pour enthusiasm
among the hearts of Indians. The independence of India became the heart and soul of her work.
She was responsible for awakening the women of India. She brought them out of the kitchen.
She travelled from state to state, city to city and asked for the rights of the women. She
re-established self-esteem within the women of India.
In 1925, she chaired the summit of Congress in Kanpur. In 1928, she came to the USA with
the message of the non-violence movement from Gandhiji. When in 1930, Gandhiji was arrested
for a protest, she took the helms of his movement. In 1931, she participated in the Round Table
Summit, along with Gandhiji and Pundit Malaviyaji. In 1942, she was arrested during the
“Quit India” protest and stayed in jail for 21 months with Gandhiji.
After independence she became the Governor of Uttar Pradesh. She was the first woman
governor in India.

Sarojini Naidu’s Works:
The Golden Threshold, published in the United Kingdom, 1905.

The Bird of Time: Songs of Life, Death & the Spring, published in London, 1912.
The Broken Wing: Songs of Love, Death and the Spring, including “The Gift of India” (first
read in public in 1915), 1917.
Muhammad Jinnah: An Ambassador of Unity, 1916.
The Sceptred Flute: Songs of India, Allahabad: Kitabistan, posthumously published, 1943.
The Feather of the Dawn, posthumously published, edited by her daughter, Padmaja Naidu, 1961.

10.2 Indian Weavers

We cannot think of life without clothes. They are responsible for our personality and our
image in society. We wear clothes of different fabrics in different seasons: soft cotton in
summer, thick, warm woollens in winters and silk on special occasions. Yet, do we ever think
about those people who weave the fabrics for us? Here is a tribute to all weavers who produce
fabric for different occasions.

WEAVERS, weaving at break of day,
Why do you weave a garment so gay? . . .
Blue as the wing of a halcyon wild,
We weave the robes of a new-born child.
Weavers, weaving at fall of night,

Why do you weave a garment so bright? . . .
Like the plumes of a peacock, purple and green,
We weave the marriage-veils of a queen.
Weavers, weaving solemn and still,
What do you weave in the moonlight chill? . . .

White as a feather and white as a cloud,
We weave a dead man’s funeral shroud.

106 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY