Sarojini returned to India in September, 1898. She had earned no diploma or degree. But that was not her aim anyway. Her mission was to meet her destiny in Edmond Goss. And she did that.
She was returning home an improved and focussed song writer. Her poems were no more amateurish. Her creative talents were well harnessed to plough the vast fields of words to reap a harvest of flowery verses. Her craft was now polished. She was all set to climb new heights of creativity.
Sarojini’s eyes had begun to show the rainbows of love and sweet romance which her poems reflected. This romantically dreamy nature is manifest in the poems she wrote in England. The poems contain various dimensions of truth, peace and love as supplementary factors. Probably the reason was that away from home, family and the country the sweet memories haunted her in that far off alien land.
A few months after returning home Sarojini married her long time sweet heart, Dr. Govind Rajulu Naidu who had received his medical education from Edinberra (Scotland). Sarojini’s initial poems reflect her love for Dr. Naidu.
The parents knew about their love affair but they were never worried about it. They knew their daughter’s sentimental nature and recognised her right to choose her life partner.
And then Sarojini at that point of time was a teenager whose fancies couldn’t be taken seriously. But the love between Sarojini and Naidu did not prove a fleeting interest. It passed the test of time.
At the time of marriage, Dr. Rajulu Naidu was serving as the chief of the medical core of royal army of Nizam Hyderabad in the rank of a major. His belonging to a different caste posed no problem. Dr. Aghornath was a liberal person and a reformist.
Incidentally he has introduced ‘Brahm Vivah’ Bill prepared by Keshab Chandra Sen in Hyderabad as well. According to the Act the marriage between different castes in Hindu families was made legal and alliance between any two male and female Indian pair had become possible.
The first marriage under the above stipulation was between Dr. Rajulu Naidu and Sarojini Chattopadhyaya. The wedding took place at Madras.
Pandit V. Pantulu performed the role of the priest. The new Brahmo Samaj rites were duly performed in which the groom and the bride made pledges to one another in the Christian style.
The priest asked to Sarojini, “Wilt thou take this man (Dr. Rajulu Naidu) as your legally wedded husband?”
Sarojini said, “I wilt.’’
Here the words of old English were used. Sarojini was perhaps being light hearted because ‘wilt’ also means ‘to wither away’.
Sarojini Naidu was by nature a jovial person which was proved later also when she began to call Mahatma Gandhi as ‘Mickey Mouse’.
Sarojini’s mother arranged another marriage for the couple at Hyderabad for the benefit of traditional women folk who preferred the life behind veils and curtains. But it was not all old things. A mixture of traditional rites and new features, it was.
Sarojini revealed to Edmond Goss about it in the following words—‘My mother arranged a grand reception for the benefit of veiled Muslim women folk. On the occasion the professional women singers sang beautiful gazals that were chosen from the ones written by ‘His Highness, The Nizam’.
So, now Sarojini was Sarojini Naidu.
The bride happily lived with her doctor husband. She managed the household on one hand and on the other continued to create poems full of her sublime sentiments and feelings.
Naidus were a prosperous and happy family.
By 1903, Sarojini had become a mother of four children, two sons and two daughters namely Jayasurya, Padamja, Randhir and Leelamani.
Besides the children and the parents the family also consisted of a two wheel toy carriage, horses, cats and birds with exotic names like ‘Nicobar’, ‘Dick-Dick’, ‘Mahjong’ and ‘Lady Linka’.
For a brief period a cheeta and two lion cubs were also in the family.
For her children Sarojini had created special poems dedicated to them. The poems reflected the unique love of a mother to her offspring and her best wishes for their future.
For the eldest child Jayasurya she prayed—
‘In the cloudless clear morn of my life,
rises the golden sun of Vijaya (Victory)’.
For daughter Padmaja she wrote—
‘Grow into a divine beauty, the fragrance of total attention’.
For the son Randhir she wished—
‘Randhir be the god of love and valour’.
For the youngest daughter she penned—
‘Darling Mani, be a source of joy and laughter, and be free of pain’!
Thus she indulged her best sentiments on her kids. Sarojini Naidu was a picture of happiness. She enjoyed mothering her children and at the same time giving birth to poems.
The following letter sent to Goss from Hyderabad illustrates perfectly her state of mind during that period—
‘I am sending five tiny poems expecting harsh critical remarks from you. They are my last week’s creations…a whole year’s work. You know all about the first two hours of ‘Honey child’ It was written seven year ago.
The little ‘Henna’ song gives me great pleasure. Henna has become a long traditional part of our national culture. In India girls and married women apply paste of Henna leaves on their hands and nails. It leaves behind a beautiful dark brownish flowery patterns. It is a symbol of joy and festive mood.
I presented an ode to Nizam on the occasion of Ramzan in a grand court durbar held two days before. An Urdu poet kindly translated in Urdu for me which I submitted with the original English version. He infact embellished my simple dress of English poem with a fascinating embroidery of oriental language words and expressions besides the style.
I couldn’t go to the durbar where 500 courtiers sat in their finery. Had I done that I would have become the talk of the country. As far as I know it is completely a new thing that a woman had a poem presented to the regal court in the history of our tradition. It is against the custom here.
Nizam’s court is the only court in east that still retains to feudal opulence and splendour. Just the reminder of the Arabian Nights era. I think amongst all the Indian Raja’s Nizam is the most handsome and intelligent but sadly one has to admit that his position is the most pitiable.
Basically a poet he had to carry the feudal burden of regal drama and stupid pomp and show.
Had Indian race been in better times and given a chance he would have proved a great leader but sadly he is more like a pathetic oriental hamlet. His songs are of very high quality and are touching. They contain the liquid mysticism and vast human simplicity like those of Burns and Tennyson respectively. His songs are gayly sung by the courtiers and the farmers alike in all the four capitals. The poor also like them.
I am sorry that besides these tiny poems I am unable to send you a good gift. My helplessness is due to the fact that I had been ill most of the year with a few intermittent spells of recovery. So it had been.
If next year God allows me more and longer spells of good health I plan to recreate the forgotten plays, sagas, lores and sublime beauty of Nizam Empire with the golden building material of the poetry.
The poets have always brought back to life the past beauty. In recreation of old sagas of Hyderabad, Aurangabad, Gulberga and Warangal, I would feel the fulfilment of my life’.
