Sarojini Naidu's 140th birth anniversary: Interesting facts about 'Nightingale Of India'

Today (February 13) is the 140th birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu, popularly known as the 'Nightingale of India'. Born on February 13, 1879 in Hyderabad, Sarojini Naidu's father was a scientist and her mother was a philosopher. Naidu was a brilliant student and topped the matriculation examination at Madras University. 

Naidu went to England at the age of 16 to pursue her higher education at King's College, London and Girton College, Cambridge. She got married to Dr Govindarajulu Naidu at the age of 19. Sarojini Naidu had great interest in poetry from the childhood days onwards. Her poems were known to be imagery and gestures of ideal love. Sarojini Naidu died on March 2, 1949 at Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow after suffering a heart attack.

Here are some other interesting facts of Sarojini Naidu:

- Sarojini Naidu was the first Indian woman President of the Indian National Congress and also the first woman governor of an Indian state (Governor of United Province, now Uttar Pradesh).

- In 1929, she presided over East African Indian Congress in South Africa and was awarded the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal by the British government for her work during the plague epidemic in India.

- She played a pivotal role during the Civil Disobedience movement in India's freedom struggle. She also faced arrest for in 1942 during the "Quit India" movement. 

- Post-Independence, she served as the first Governor of the United Provinces from 1947 to 1949 and also contributed to the drafting of the Indian Constitution.  

- Her writing career began at the age of 13 and her major contribution was in the field of poetry. The Golden Threshold, her first collection of poems, was published in 1905. The Feather of The Dawn was edited and published posthumously in 1961 by her daughter Padamaja.

- Some of other literary works include The Bird of Time: Songs of Life, Death and the Spring, The Broken Wing: Songs of Love, Death and the Spring, Muhammad Jinnah: An Ambassador of Unity, The Sceptred Flute: Songs of India, Allahabad: Kitabistan, The Indian Weavers, Feast of Youth, The Magic Tree and The Wizard Mask.