india author m 1- a-nan - University of Wollongong

NARAVANE, VISHWANATH S. Sarojini Naidu: An Introduction to her Life, Work and
Poetry. New Delhi: Orient Longman, 1981, 160pp.
Naravane begins with "Recollections"; he first met Sarojini Devi (as she was
commonly addressed in public life) in 1938 when he was an undergraduate student at the
University of Allahabad. A. N. Jha, Vice Chancellor of Allahabad University, was one of
Sarojini's earliest editors. Naravane (who rose to be Professor of Philosophy at the University
of Poona) concentrates on the personality of Sarojini. There are chapters on "Background and
Preparation", "Promise and Fulfilment", "Friendships: Gokhale, Gandhi, Nehru", "Vision of
India", "Sarojini and the Women of India", and "Poetry of Nature". The "Assessment"
(pp.128-53) presents a balanced evaluation of her poetry. Naravane's book is important for
the first hand account of an unforgettable personality, whose most precious gift was humour.
He observs that "there was absolutely nothing in common between her humour and her
poetry." Her conversation was very witty, and she was always ready to poke fun at herself
and others. Naravane presents a selection of such stories.
Osmania Journal of English Studies 16.1 (1980).Special Naidu issue.
GHOSE, SISIRKUMAR. "Sarojini Naidu: Towards a Revaluation":23-36.
MIRZA, TAQI ALI. "The Poetry of Sarojini Naidu: An Apology":50-5. [check others]
PRASAD, DEOBRATA. Sarojini Naidu and Her Art of Poetry 1988, xvi + 216 pp.
publisher?
PRASAD, DEOBRATA. Sarojini Naidu and Her Art of Poetry. Delhi Capital Publishing
House, 1988, 216pp.
Prasad has unreserve praise for Naidu as "a mature artist who can manipulat
language". He considers the poems thematically, with chapters on "Nature's Ecstasy", "Indian
Flavours" (covering poems like "Coromandal Fishers" and "Indian Weavers"), "Patriotic
Urges", "Lyric Bloom", "Colour Values", and "Mystic Urge."
PRASAD, VEENA RANI. "Sarojini Naidu's Lyrical Mode." Indian Writing in English, edited
by Krishna Nandan Sinha (Delhi: Heritage Publishers, 1979): 99-108.
Sarojini Naidu's sensibility is essentially Romantic. She is a lyricist, and many of her
poems show her fascination with the beauty of nature. Like Emily Dickinson, she has a
partiality for colour and perfume, and flowers, especially the lotus, have a symbolic value for
her. She is good at recreating the rural scene. Prasad compares Sarojini's love poems with
Emily Dickinson's.
RAJYALAKSHMI, P. V. The Lyric Spring. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications, 1977. 221pp.
Based on a doctoral thesis submitted to Andhra University. Thematic study, which
attempts to show that Naidu's poetry may be outmoded, but not outdated. Concluding
chapter, "The Sceptred Flute" (pp. 179-221) contains a good survey of other critics' views on
the poet. Has a comprehensive bibliography (pp 211-216).
RANGAN, V. "Sarojini Naidu's 'Song of Radha, a Milkmaid'." The Literary Endeavour 2,
no.1 (1981): 53-59.A short sloka (Sanskrit verse) by Lilasuka is wrought into a long lyric by
Naidu. Radha's devotion to the lord is in the tradition of madhurabhakti. Rangan shows the
influence of the azhwars (old Tamil mystic poets) on Naidu's presentation. The three stanzas
of Naidu's poems descri Radha at the fair, then going to the river to get water, and finally at
the temple; "fair" and "water" have their symbol value in Srivaishnava philosophy.