‘Still I must go there,
where the restless world points at.
The anxious sounds of the drums of destiny,
are calling me.
Beyond the dazzling slumber of your white dome,
Far away from the dreams of your wild castles,
In the middle of the tumult and struggle of the
fierce crowd,
Against the injustice and lethargy,
In the battle of the sweet love’.
Sarojini was spreading her wings to take a flight to her social commitment from the confines of the academic poetrying.
Of late she had began to speak out on her concerns about the evils the society was suffering from. She talked frankly upon the subjects of miserable state of women in Indian society, childhood marriages, widow remarriage, polygamy and the education of the women. She called upon the women to break out of the confines of the domestic walls and get involved in the works of education, health and other professions to play their due role in the national life.
Speaking at the gatherings of the women she exhorted them to break the shackles of the narrow-minded traditions. Sarojini did not believe in casteism, religious bigotism and the parochialism. She stood for respect for all the religious and the brotherhood of all human beings.
Sarojini Naidu was an ideal Hindu housewife minus the ignorance and orthodoxy at home while she lived in the Muslim culture dominated Hyderabad.
She was born in the Brahmin family yet she married a man from the other caste unhesitatingly after a long period of love affair. Sarojini was a patriot and at the same time a world citizen who believed in the brotherhood of the mankind.
Nothing could cage her poetic mind.
In 1903, in her speech at Madras she said, ‘I have gained a clear view point after travels, with expansion of my own beliefs, hopes, ambitions, love and sympathies and after interacting with various tribes, races, religions and civilisations. I harbour no discriminating feeling for any race, religion and colour. As long as you don’t evolve the sentiment of world brotherhood and don’t really own it you can’t hope to be rid of the communalism. If I am allowed to use the word I can say that in that condition you can’t become really a nationalist’.
Sarojini thought that the tolerance may have been the integral part of the religion yet here every community lives a segregated life. Reiterating that every individual Indian was an inseparable part of India she told at a public meeting—‘I tell you that it is not a matter of pride that you are Madrasi, or a Brahmin or a South Indian or a Hindu. The real matter of pride is that fundamentally you are Indians inspite of all other things.’
At wider level she thought that the beliefs should be expanded beyond the national barriers to cover the entire human race. If your ideal is to benefit your country only than you come back to the same point you started from, which really means the benefit of your own community, clan and personal interests.
A limitless poetic mindset she had on all the matters that projected an ever expanding mental horizon. This liberal outlook resulted in her having a very special capability and unique achievements. The same Hyderabad which was just a town till yesterday had transformed into a place with kaleidoscopic history, cultural heritage, magnificent landmarks and a magic house through Sarojini’s poetic vision.
About this poetic vision she once wrote to Arthur Simons—‘Perhaps you don’t know that before my eyes beautiful verses keep floating about like butterflies. If God wills I will spread around my soul like a net and catch them…as many as possible. Provided God is merciful and allows me some health.
To make my life full I only need that much because the soul of joy that Shelley wrote about really lives in my house. My garden is full of music of the birds. My long verandah is full of squealing children.’
