Write the contribution of Sarojini Naidu (1879-1949) to the Indian

Write the contribution of Sarojini Naidu (1879-1949) to the Indian English Literature.

Ans.

Among the women writers Sarojini Naidu, the great poetess charmed the readers with her writings. Naidu poetry includes both children’s poems and others written more serious themes including patriotism, romance and tragedy. Feminism themes have also been used by authors like Nayantara Sahgal and Rama Mehta. Regional fiction theme has been aptly used by Kamala Das, Anita Nair and Susan Viswanathan. Novelists like Kamala Markandaya and Anita Desai captured the spirit of Indian cultures and its traditional values. During 1990’s India became a popular literary nation as a number of women authors made their debut in this era. Chitra Banerjee Divakarunj. Suniti Namjoshi and Anuradha Marwah Roy used realism as main theme of their novels. The novels of authors like Namita Gokhale or Shobha De are really out-spoken. Most of these female novelists are known for their bold views that are reflected in their novels. Basically, these are the novels of protest and an outburst of reservations and contaminations. Unlike the past, where the works of women novelists were given less priority and were actually undervalued, classification of feministic or male writings hardly makes any sense today.

In the twentieth century, women’s writing was considered a powerful medium of modernism and feminist statements. The last two decades have witnessed phenomenal success in feminist writings of Indian English literature. Today is a generation of those women writers’ education. Their novels consist of the latest burning issues related to women as well as those issues that exist in the society since long. The publishers feel that the literature actually survives because of these types of bold topics and commercials used by the women with simply stunning frankness. Their write-ups give a glimpse of the unexplored female psyche, which has no accessibility. The majority of these novels depict the psychological suffering of the frustrated housewife. At this point of time, it is essential to quote Virginia Woolf.

It is probable, however, that both in life and in art, the values of women are not the I values of men. Thus, when a woman comes to write a novel, she will find that she is perpetually wishing to alter the established values-to make serious what appears insignificant to a man, and trivial what is to him important. (75-81)

Since long, feminism has been used by the women novelists. Their novels reflect that the present age women have realized that she is not helpless and is not dependent. They feel that a woman is an equal competent just like a man. Today a woman has also become a direct money earner and she is not only confined to household works. The women of modern era think on different lines and that is what is depicted in the novels of the Indian women authors. These facts are incorporated by the women writers. Indian women writers explore the feminine subjectivity and apply the theme that ranges from childhood to complete womanhood. These women writers say that feminism means putting an end to the silent sufferings of women.

Women writers in India are moving forward with their strong and sure strides, matching the pace of the world. We see them bursting out in full bloom spreading their own individual fragrances. They are recognized for their originality, versatility and the indigenous flavour of the soil that they bring to their work. Indian women writers like Kamala Markandaya, Bharathi Mukherjee, Anita Desai, Nayantara Sahgal and many more have played a pioneering role in conveying the readers a wild range of indigineous Indian issues, punctuated by a strong feministic outlook. It is amazing to note that these writers have climbed the ladder of success in a slow and painful way. Thus, this new voice of emerging modern India succeeded in drawing the attention of the public towards the pressing problems of gender inequality, social evils and encroachment of land by foreign nationals and exploitation of women in a patriarchal society.