Works Cited

Alexander, Meena. "Sarojini Naidu: Romanticism and Resistance." Economic and Political
Weekly 20.30 (1985): WS68-WS72. JSTOR. Web. 14 Jan. 2015. Although primarily
focused on Sarojini Naidu's poetry, this article provides valuable insight into Naidu's life
as a political activist. It touches upon her Presidency of the Indian National Congress and
her social and political beliefs. As one of the few sources on Naidu's presidency, the
depictions and opinions of this article should be considered in developing a claim about
Naidu's leadership. Also, the fact that it was published by Economic&Political Weekly, a
renowned Indian social science journal that is widely used for scholarly purposes, proves
its dependability as a resource.
Chadha, Yogesh. Gandhi: A Life. New York: John Wiley, 1997. Print. This book is about
Gandhi's life and accomplishments. Therefore, this book has a stronger focus on Gandhi
than it does on Sarojini Naidu. The book seems reliable, because it seems to have facts
which are supported by other sources. Despite the fact that it focuses on Gandhi instead
of Naidu, it will assist us in our essay: because Gandhi and Naidu were involved in some
of the same events, having another view on those events will still be useful. Additionally,
this book is fairly detailed, so we should be able to get some extra information about
those topics.
Chandra, Bipan, et al. India's Struggle for Independence. N.p.: Penguin Books, 1989. Print. This
historical book on the Indian independence movement will provide information about the
surrounding historical context of the Indian independence movement. It is extremely
credible, given the fact that it was written by a five person panel of extremely qualified
historians, each authoring multiple other books on the subject of India. Also, the

publication date of 1989 indicates that this book was written only a couple decades after
the movement ended which is substantially closer to the event than most of our other
secondary sources.
"India Police Besiege Salt Raiding Party Headed by Poetess." New York Times 16 May 1930: n.
pag. Print. Written by a correspondent to the New York Times from Bombay the day of
the Dharasana Satyagraha, this news article is definitely a reliable and informative
source. It describes the confrontation that occurred between the Indian protesters and the
British police during the organized raiding of the Dharasana salt post, led by Sarojini
Naidu. As the author was physically present during the described events there is an
almost non-existent possibility of divergence in the factual accounts due to having to
receive it from another source and misinterpretation. Also, being published the day after
the event, there had to have been very little time for intervening forces to "put the events
into perspective" and influence the journalist with political biases. Further, the fact that
the author is a correspondent for an American company(America being a non-involved
party) means there is a low chance of an either British or Indian lean. However, aside
from this being a primary source, our other sources indicate that journalists had a difficult
time accessing the demonstrations due to the growing wariness of foreigners interfering
in domestic issues. Therefore, the author may not in reality, have been a direct witness of
the protest, but heard about it from such a witness. This opens up more room for bias and
misinterpretation, but the significance of the discrepancies are most likely less so than
our other secondary sources. In all, this article will most likely serve as evidence in favor
of the fact that Sarojini Naidu was an active leader of the Indian Independence

movement. It will also provide insight as to how both Indians protestors and British
conservatives viewed Naidu.
Jag Mohan, Sarala. "Sarojini Naidu." 1989. Remembering Our Leaders. Vol. 1. New Delhi:
Children's Book Trust, 1989. 63-70. Print. This is a collection of biographies of important
Indian leaders. In the section about Sarojini Naidu, it gives information about each area
of her life/leadership in an individual section. This source is fairly useful, as it has more
details than most of our initial sources did. While it did not provide enough information
to give us any unique or key facts, it was useful in that it gave basic information on
various aspects of her life.
Kuhn, Betsy. The Force Born of Truth: Mohandas Gandhi and the Salt March, India, 1930.
Minneapolis: Twenty-First Century, 2011. Print. This source is about Gandhi, and it goes
over his general achievements, with a particular focus on the salt march. The information
given seemed to match the information from other sources. The book does give detail on
two events about Sarojini Naidu: her meeting with Gandhi, and her role in the salt march
and the Dharasana Saltworks raid. It also has some quotations, which can be useful in
writing the essay.
Kumar, Anu, ed. Sarojini Naidu: The Nightingale and the Freedom Fighter: What Sarojini
Naidu Did, What Sarojini Naidu Said. N.p.: Hachette India, 2014. Print. This is a book
that covers major themes in Sarojini Naidu's life including education, mentor-ship, social
equality, and politics. It goes in depth on each theme, following her throughout her life,
beginning as a child in Hyderabad India and ending with her death while holding the title
governor of the United Provinces. Overall, the content of this history book matches up
with other sources with the exception of it going further in depth. The publication

company, although not necessarily known as a scholarly institution, is renowned in India

for its diverse array of works. Its legitimacy should also have influenced the credibility of
this book.
Martin, Brian. Justice Ignited: The Dynamics of Backfire. N.p.: Rowman & Littlefield, n.d. Print.
This book, written by an associate professor at the University of Wollongong in
Australia, captures the unintentional nature of consequences that occur due to state
violence. A small section is dedicated to the Salt Protests that happened in Indian during
the independence movement and discusses the impact of the non-violent protesters
despite the British brutality. Martin also cites a couple primary sources including news
articles by Webb Miller which supercharge the source's overall reliability on this topic.
Miller, Webb. "Natives Beaten down by Police in India Salt Bed Raid." United Press
International 21 May 1930: n. pag. Print. This source is a newspaper article that was
published by Webb Miller after the raid on the Dharasana Salt Works. The article goes in
depth about the details of the event. The fact that this article was written by Webb Miller,
an American, may mean that it is less biased, as it is neither a perspective from the
British nor a perspective from the Indians. Also, we do know that this author was present
at this time; other sources we have mention that he spoke with Sarojini Naidu during this
event, and was there when she was arrested. This source is useful to us in that it backs up
the research we have already done, and it gives us a new perspective on a very important
event in Naidu's life and in the Indian independence movements.
Naidu, Sarojini. Speeches and Writings of Sarojini Naidu. 3rd ed. Madras: G. A. Nateson & Co.,
n.d. Print. This source is a compilation of Sarojini Naidu's writings. In this way, it is a
very valuable source to us, as it shows Naidu's exact thoughts through her poetry and

speeches. The information we get from this source adds to our facts about Naidu's
thoughts and feelings as she joined the movements.
Naravane, Vishwanath S. Sarojini Naidu: An Introduction to Her Life, Work and Poetry. Reprint
ed. Hyderabad [u. a.]: Orient Longman, 1996. Print. This is a very detailed book that
gives a biography of Sarojini Naidu. It has key facts, such as dates and events, as well as
some excerpts from Naidu's writings. This is an extremely detailed source, and it has
quotes from some people who were there during this time period. It is also written in a
balanced way, with details from both sides. The source provides us with many events that
give more context to our essay.
Peers, Douglas M. India under Colonial Rule 1700-1885. Great Britain: Pearson, 2006. Print.
This historical book covers in extreme depth British imperialism in India from 1700 to
1885, looking at colonial India from a variety of lenses, ranging from broad
institutional/political actions to daily life in local regions under British Authority. There
is no doubt that this is a legitimate source as it was published and therefore reviewed by
Pearson, a prestigious academic company, and written by a Professor of history. This
source would be a fantastic reference for writing the historical context essay as the depth
it achieves in describing the background environment of the time period, namely British
occupation provides a good historical context.
Richard, Long D., ed. Charisma and Commitment in South Asian History ; Essays Presented to
Stanley Wolpert. N.p.: Orient BlackSwan, 2004. Print. This historical book is in actuality
an anthology of many essays, covering topics ranging from the War or Austrian
Succession and the South African origins of Gandhi's Philosophies, written by qualified
historians and chosen and compiled by Roger D. Long, a professor who specializes in the

histories of South Asia and the British Empire. Although less known in the U.S., Orient
BlackSwan is an extremely legitimate publishing company headquartered in India. Its
published content is largely academic including professional works and educational
textbooks. The essay in this anthology that will be most insightful in our research is one
entitled "Sarojini Naidu: The Nightingale of India" by Sangeeta R. Gupta, which focuses
on Naidu's role in the Indian independence movement. Some of the other essays about
the India independence movement, gender equality in India, and Gandhi may be
informative as well.
Sahukar, Nimeran. Sarojini Naidu: The Nightingale of India. New Delhi: Rupa, 2003. Print. This
book gives a biography on Sarojini Naidu. It goes into great detail on many different
parts of her leadership. Although the book does seem to have been somewhat simplified
to be easier to read, it was made for educational purposes, so it should be fairly accurate.
This book can give us information in various areas, including how Naidu felt when
entering the independence movements.
"Sarojini Naidu." Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. Britannica School, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
<http://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/54685#>. This encyclopedia article on Sarojini
Naidu gives brief insight into her life starting from her birth in Hyderabad India in 1879
up to her death while serving as the governor of the United Provinces in 1879. The main
focus is on her duration as a political activist, advocating for gender equality and Indian
autonomy from the grip of Great Britain. However, there is also a small aside to her
literary career and scholarly interactions with other intellectuals. Given the legitimacy of
the Encyclopedia Britannica and its resulting popularity in usage among educators and
educational institutions, there is empirical backing for this article's credibility. On the

other hand, the fact that it is a secondary source means there is still room for
misinterpretation and/or mis-portrayal of the primary evidence. Although informative,
this article does not go in depth on any of the various historical events that highlight
Naidu's role in history as a leader, rendering it a good source for gaining a preliminary
broad, but shallow understanding of the subject. Also, the concision and spanning
coverage of the article makes it a helpful model for writing the Historical Context Essay
and condensing all of the necessary information.
"Sarojini Naidu." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
Instead of zooming in on her career as a political activist, this article focuses on Sarojini
Naidu's domestic life, character, and influences. The content really goes in depth on
Naidu's personal ideologies as a feminist and advocate for Indian Independence and
greater education, covering the roles her parents and other leaders had in contributing to
her belief system. This source would be extremely valuable in writing the biographical
sketch given its specificity to the biographical events that shaped Naidu's beliefs which
she in turn translated into leadership action. Being from ABC-CLIO, the article is pretty
reliable, considering the fact that this renowned data base's credibility could only have
been achieved through a history of accurate and educational articles. Furthermore, the
given information, although more in depth, matches up perfectly with other accounts we
have found, namely the article from the Encyclopedia Britannica, which significantly
nullifies the potential for an informational skew due to the fact that it is a secondary
source.
Webb, Miller. "Gandhis Salt March Campaign: Contemporary Dispatches." The New York
World-Telegram 30 May 1930: n. pag. Print. As one of the articles written by Webb

Miller, who is credited by many historians for changing the public's perception of the
Indian independence movement, this source provides a first hand account of the
Dharasana raid. It is from a New York or United States based journal which is third-party
to the events going on in India and therefore unbiased.