The Mahatma and The Poetess

A selection of letters exchanged between Gandhiji and Sarojini Naidu


The Mahatma and The Poetess

THE MAHATMA AND THE POETESS

Compiled by : E. S. Reddy
Edited by : Mrinalini Sarabhai


Table of Contents

  1. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Feb 23, 1915
  2. Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji Mar 6, 1915
  3. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu May 4, 1915
  4. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Sep 20, 1918
  5. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Nov 18, 1918
  6. Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji Jun 14, 1919
  7. Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji Jul 17, 1919
  8. Cable from Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu and others Jul 28, 1919
  9. Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji Nov 6, 1919 (extract)
  10. Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji [before Mar 17,] 1920
  11. Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji Jul 15, 1920
  12. Correspondence Between Mr. E. S. Montagu and Sarojini Naidu
  13. Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji September 2, 1920
  14. Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji Feb 13, 1924
  15. Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji Feb 29, 1924
  16. Cable from Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Mar 1924
  17. Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji before May 15, 1924 (extract)
  18. Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji before Jul 2, 1924 (extract)
  19. Telegram from Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji Aug 4, 1924
  20. Telegram from Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Aug 4, 1924
  21. Telegram from Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji Aug 11, 1924
  22. Telegram from Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu [on or after Aug 12,] 1924
  23. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Mar 2, 1925
  24. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu May 30, 1925
  25. Telegram from Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Jun 17, 1925
  26. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Jul 6, 1925
  27. Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji Nov 26, 1925
  28. Postcard from Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Dec 2, 1925
  29. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Dec 20, 1925
  30. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Mar 9, 1926
  31. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Mar 11, 1926
  32. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Mar 24, 1926
  33. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Apr 11, 1926
  34. Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji Jul 20, 1926
  35. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Jun 25, 1927
  36. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Jul 1, 1927
  37. Telegram from Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji Aug 6, 1927
  38. Telegram from Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu [on or after Aug 6,] 1927
  39. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Apr 16, 1928
  40. Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji Aug 7, 1928
  41. Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji Sep 2, 1928
  42. Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji Sep 17, 1928
  43. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Oct 12, 1928
  44. Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji Nov 19, 1928
  45. Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji Dec 16, 1928
  46. Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji Feb 11, 1929
  47. Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji [before Apr 11,] 1929
  48. Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji Jun 18, 1929
  49. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Jul 21, 1929
  50. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Aug 7, 1929
  51. Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji Nov 9, 1929
  52. Telegram from Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Nov 14, 1929
  53. Cable from Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Dec 5, 1929
  54. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Apr 16, 1930
  55. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu May 6, 1932
  56. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Aug 8, 1932
  57. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Sep 17, 1932
  58. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Feb 22, 1934
  59. Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji [before Aug 17,] 1934
  60. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Nov 26, 1938
  61. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Feb 12, 1940
  62. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Apr 18, 1941
  63. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Jul 18, 1941
  64. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Jul 18, 1941
  65. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Aug 4, 1941
  66. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Sep 22, 1941
  67. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Jun 13, 1942
  68. Pyarelal and Sushila Nayyar To Sarojini Naidu Jul 6, 1942
  69. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Jul 17, 1944
  70. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Aug 20, 1944
  71. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Mar 3, 1945
  72. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Apr 12, 1945
  73. Pyarelal To Sarojini Naidu May 25, 1945
  74. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Jun 9, 1945
  75. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Jun 16, 1945
  76. Telegram from Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Feb 15, 1946
  77. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Jul 30, 1946
  78. Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji Dec 26, 1946
  79. Gandhiji To Sarojini Naidu Oct 7, 1947

APPENDIX I

  1. Speech at Reception to Gandhiji in London, August 4, 1914
  2. Foreword To A Collection of Gandhiji's Speeches, 1917
  3. "My Father, Do Not Rest": Broadcast on the All India Radio, Delhi, February 1, 1948
  4. Foreword to Mahatma Gandhi, by H.S.L. Polak and others, 1949

APPENDIX II

  1. Comment on April 11, 1918
  2. Sarojini the Singer, 1924
  3. A Call to India's Poetess, 1928
  4. Foreign Propaganda and Sarojini Devi, 1928

About This Book


The Mahatma and the Poetess

Compiled by :E. S. Reddy
Editor : Mrinalini Sarabhai
Volume Published by :
Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan,
Mumbai,


Letter 13: Sarojini Naidu To Gandhiji
September 2, 1920

Forum Club,
6 Grosvenor Place,
Hyde Park Corner, S.W.1
2nd Sept. 1920

Dear friend,
How I loved every hour of my brief holiday by the sea and among the peace-enfolded woods and mountains of Wales where the people are so strangely akin to us, with their ardent and simple, mystic and melancholy temperament, quickly responsive alike to sorrow and joy.
But now alas I am once more in London. I have come down from the hills of vision to the whirlpool of action! from the kindly shepherds on the hillside and the friendly women spinning in their cottage doorways to the strife and stress of the daily round. It does not spell tranquillity to one's mind, but might contribute somewhat to the victory of the Indian nation in its struggle!
I send you a full harvest of happenings - by no means the "harvest of a quiet eye"!
First there is my letter to the Secretary of State in reply to the Government of India's telegram to him regarding my charges about the ill-treatment of women during the period of martial law in the Punjab. What an unworthy document and how unconvincing to any sane or sincere mind!
I send you also my letter to the member of the Khilafat delegation, who left yesterday - and my letter to Viceroy which they have taken back with them together with my Kaiser-i-Hind gold medal which was bestowed on me long ago - in King Edward's time.
I am filled with anxiety about the result of the Special Congress but my faith is always stronger than my fear and my hope of tomorrow is always greater than my despair of today... Immediate or apparent failure leaves me undismayed or even disturbed in my inmost self because I am so certain of ultimate and real success. For I believe that all thoughts and endeavours that are born of intense conviction are the guarantee of their own abiding triumph.
I am enclosing a poem that will rejoice your spirit - will you pass it on to be a shining inspiration to India? It is written by my friend the great Irish poet A. E. in honour of that invincible spirit who is dying heroically, hour by hour, the Mayor of Cork: a true satyagrahi.
When the whole of India is animated by such courage, such devotion, such joyous and indomitable martyrdom - then indeed - and only then will Freedom be a word of living significance in the vocabulary of our people.
I am I believe very ill and suffer much pain - but I dare say I shall get better someday.
How glad I am that Sarala Devi has once more found the inspiration and scope to exercise her great gifts in the service of the country; how especially happy I am that she is associated with you in the cause that is the very heart of my heart - the Hindu-Muslim unity.
My younger child is spending her holiday with me, enjoying herself immensely, and proving herself possessed of an almost Bolshevik energy in her denunciations... and her defence of the right attitudes and ideals of life! She is a fierce little patriot, with a passionate, implacable love of freedom.
You have heard, have you not, about my son Mina? Such an excellent piece of good fortune has befallen him - from my point of view - in the Govt. of India's refusal to give him a commission at Sandhurst because he was my son. It is the greatest tribute I have ever had paid me, but Mina does not yet realise, poor child, what a paradox it would have been for my son to be in an army which as Padmaja so aptly says converted Amritsar into a place of tragedy and tears.
I send my love to Mrs. Gandhi, Anasuya and all other friends and comrades.

Your affectionate and loyal,
Sarojini Naidu


From: S N 7235