Summary of Pardah Nashin by Sarojini Naidu

Summary of Pardah Nashin by Sarojini Naidu

About Sarojini Naidu: Sarojini Naidu was born on February 13, 1879. Her father Aghoranath Chattopad hyaya was a scientist and philosopher. Sarojini Naidu‘s mother Barada Sundari Devi was a poetess and used to write poetry in Bengali. Sarojini Naidu was the el dest among her eight siblings. Sarojini Naidu was a brilliant student. She was fluent in Urdu, Telugu, Engli sh, Bengali, and Persian. At the age of twelve, Sarojini Naidu attained national fame when she topped the matriculation examination at Madras University. Sarojini Naidu was interested in poetry. She started writing poems in English. At the age of 16, she traveled to England to study first at King's College Lond on and later at Girton College, Cambridge. .

There are greater poets than sarojini naidu but none more original because she Shaw things with a fresh approach.  In her poems she reflects the whole range of mood and emotion with superb restraint of expression. Her major themes were nature, love, life and death folk life, patriotism and mysticism.

The Purdah Nashin as a representative poetic piece from Sarojini Naidu is all about life under the ghumta, the purdah; the ghumtawalli, the purdahwalli living a languid and sequestered life. The burqua-clad persona, protagonist is the mouthpiece, spokesperson of the poem and the poetess speaking through her character. Her girdles and fillets gleam like changing fires on sunset seas. Her adorned clothing is like the morning mist, golden and speckled, embroidered and beautiful, opal and amethyst. It is true to some extent that she remains guarded from the evil eyes falling upon her or she is feeling protected under the living care of the husband. Maybe it that it protects her from direct sun, heat and dust. But through the latticed veil she keeps peeping into, decorating her dreams. Only the husband is the master of her destiny and she can find comfort and repose in him. None can dare lift the veil from her face; unveil the mysteries encircling her life. Nothing can throw light upon her. But none can defy Time as lifts the veil to peep into her eyes to lay it bare

what it the truth, what it not. Who can shield a woman’s eyes from tears? Her liberties are the thing of our concern.

A Muslim woman’s life and compulsions, her attire, the logic behind, the mood and temperament of the male-dominated patriarchal society where feminine liberties are quashed and toned down have been taken into consideration. The poem is not about the Shakespearean dark lady whose identity is not known to us, but about dark dramatis persona walking as a shadow, theater girl beautiful. But when we talk of rights, she lags behind. We do not know if she herself likes to don or society has forced her to do so.A pardah-nashin, veil-donning woman is the subject of our discussion around which everything moves it. Our conventions, taboos and orthodoxies too have taken a toll upon the freedom of the females. Gems cannot remain hidden under the earth. So is the case with. Nothing is hidden from time. The purdah system has the goodness and weakness of its own. But instead of doing some good, it does so much to our society. Feminine liberty and freedom is all that attaches to and human rights activists and feminists are concerned about. Too much of taboos and restrictions is not good

Pardah Nashin by Sarojini Naidu is a beautiful poem depicting the plight of Indian women (especially the Muslim women) in the past when her life was completely dominated by men. They were looked upon as sex objects. They had no freedom. They were like birds in a decorated cage.  

In the first stanza the poet describes the life of women behind the veil; they had plenty of comfort and ease; dressed in their costly attires and jewelry that made them look beautiful and sensuous they sat behind the veils waiting to entertain their masters.

In the second stanza the poet further describes how the women lived guarded and protected (imprisoned) behind artistically carved lattices not allowed to be seen by lecherous men or even touched by the rays of sun or wind. They lived hidden like secrets hidden in a lover’s heart.

In the last stanza the poet describes that though no unauthorized hands could lift the veils behind which she lived, yet when time lifted those veils, it was found they were sorrowful and there were tears in their eyes; no one tried to prevent their sufferings and tears.

1.How does the custom of separating men and women with a “pardah” shape meaning in “The Pardah Nashin”?
(a) By describing the dreamlike experience of the woman, the practice of pardah creates a mysterious mood; this makes the poem feel ancient and otherworldly.
(b) The speaker describes the beauty and power of women when they are protected from “thieving” eyes. She uses this custom to express her view that women must be treasured and protected.
(c) The speaker shows how this custom can be oppressive for women. This portrayal develops the speaker’s theme that women should be free and equal within society.
(d) By referencing an ancient custom throughout her poem and expressing the sorrow it causes, the speaker makes the argument that it is time for India to change and develop its own modern identity.

Ans: Option D. By referencing an ancient custom throughout her poem and expressing the sorrow it causes, the speaker makes the argument that it is time for India to change and develop its own modern identity.

2.Write a short Summary of poem purdah nashin?

 The poem purdah nashin was written by Mrs sarojini naidu. she wrote this poem for the Muslim ladies who always cover their faces with veil. she comment on their way of living. she do not want to hurt their religion. As she always support Muslim league and respect their religion an tradition. she was a little upset about the fact that the Muslim women have to cover their faces every time. She praised the honest thought of their religion of protecting their women by the meant of veil cover their face which will not allowed other men to see their faces, they might believe that there women are secure in that way. but what is life if there is no freedom. if they think purdah is the correct way to protect their women then they are killing the freedom of one individual. there is no air their women can breathe freely, there is always the net which comes before them. they cannot open their naked eyes to reality, everything is organized and decorated by their authority(men). they might be protected, and they might be decorated by the shiny and blinging jewelries to make them a complete lady, but their soul cannot shine like them. Their life they are brought up by the men their father and brother and when they grow up and got married the other men of the house, his husband will take over their father and brother place. They are always in the hand of men. they are always under the male domination, their beauty, their talent are always hidden just like the purdah. so, the poem is about the freedom of soul of Muslim women. She want to encourage the Muslim women talent and for their freedom of their individuality which lost in the purdah nashin.

3. Who is Sarojini Naidu?

Sarojini Naidu for Indian women She was responsible for awakening the women of India. She brought them out of the kitchen. She traveled from state to state, city after city and asked for the rights of the women. She re-established self-esteem within the women of India.

4. Write a Biodata of Sarojini Naidu and her major works?

Naidu was born into a high-caste Bengali family in 1879. Her father, Aghorenath Chattopadhyaya, became, after obtaining his doctorate from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, a distinguished scholar and linguist who founded two Indian colleges, one for women. Naidu's mother, Varada Sundari, was a minor poet and noted singer. Naidu began writing poetry as a child and at the age of twelve passed the matriculation examination for the University of Madras. As a teenager, Naidu fell in love with Govindarajulu Naidu, a doctor who was neither Bengali nor of the Brahmin caste. Hoping to prevent their daughter from marrying outside her social group, her parents sent her to England in 1895. There Naidu attended King's College, London, and Girton College, Cambridge, where she further developed her poetic style and became friends with such well-known English critics and writers as Edmund Gosse and Arthur Symons, who helped her to refine her work. In 1898 Naidu returned to India and married Govindarajulu Naidu despite her family's disapproval. Because of her family's high status, Naidu had access to many of the most prominent thinkers, writers, and political figures of India's modern intellectual renaissance. Her first volume of poetry, The Golden Threshold, was published in England in 1905; with an introduction by Arthur Symons. The book was well-received, and Naidu was encouraged to continue publishing her work until 1917, when she abruptly stopped. At this point, Naidu became active in Indian politics. She had met Gandhi in 1914 and soon decided to join him in the struggle for Indian independence. Naidu's first cause as a political activist was women's rights; she traveled throughout India lecturing on women's educational needs and promoting suffrage, and became the first woman to hold several prominent positions in the Indian government. In 1925 she was elected President of the Indian National Congress, and during the 1920s traveled throughout Africa and North America campaigning for Indian independence. Naidu was arrested and imprisoned for revolutionary activities several times during her career. In 1947-when independence was achieved-Naidu was elected acting governor of the United Provinces. She died in 1949.

Major Works

Naidu's early poetry evidences the strong Western influence of her Brahmin upbringing. Crafting poems in traditional English metrical forms, she concentrated primarily on Western themes and images. Edmund Gosse, upon reading her work when he met her in London, recognized Naidu's potential but encouraged her to incorporate Indian subjects into her work. Naidu followed Gosse's advice, and her first volume, The Golden Threshold, combines traditional poetic forms .

5. What is the writing style of Sarojini Naidu?

Naidu's writing style is traditional and simple, with use of such literary devices as imagery and alliteration. Imagery is description using any of the five senses of sight, hearing, taste, touch, or smell. Naidu's poems are rich with imagery.