National Women’s Day is annually observed across India on 13th February to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu, popularly known as the “Nightingale of India” or “Bharat Kokila”.
13 February 2024 marks the 145th birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu.
Significance:
i.The day celebrates the contribution made by Sarojini Naidu for establishing women’s rights in the patriarchal Indian society.
ii.The Day aims to recognise the cultural, political, and economic contributions of women in India and also celebrates the achievements of women across various domains.
Note: The United Nations (UN)’s International Women’s Day (IWD) is annually observed across the globe on 8 March.
About Sarojini Naidu:
i.She was born on 13 February 1879 in Hyderabad, Telangana. She was a political activist, freedom fighter, and poetess, who actively associated with the Women’s Movement in India.
ii.She was a member of the Bombay Municipal Corporation from 1923-1929.
iii.She was elected as the President of the Indian National Congress (INC) in 1925. She was the first Indian woman to hold the post.
iv.She became the first woman to become the governor of an Indian state.
- She served as the first Governor of the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh-UP) of Independent India from 15 August 1947 until her death on 2nd March 1949.
v.Mahatma Gandhi bestowed the title ‘the Nightingale of India’, or ‘Bharat Kokila’ for the exceptional qualities in her poetry.
vi.She was a key figure in the Salt Satyagraha movement, the Civil Disobedience Movement, and the Quit India Movement.
vii.Along with Annie Besant and others, she co-founded the Women’s India Association (WIA) in 1917.
Notable Works: The Golden Threshold (1905); In the Bazaars of Hyderabad (1912); The Bird of Time: Songs of Life, Death & the Spring (1912); The Sceptred Flute: (1928); and The Feather of the Dawn: (1961).
Awards: The British government awarded Sarojini Naidu with the ‘Kaisar-i-Hind’ Medal for her service during the plague epidemic in India.
