The Gift of India is a famous poem written by famous Indian woman poetess, Sarojini Naidu. The poem was originally published in 1915. This is 24 lines poem divided into six line stanzas. The Gift of India poem is a tribute to those Indian soldiers who lost their life in world war I .
The Gift of India By Sarojini Naidu
Summary of The Gift of India By Sarojini Naidu
An Indian soldier had a big role in World War I as they supported British Army in large numbers. When the world war I ended, British Army does not put any efforts to bring a dead bodies of Indian soldiers to India. Therefore, this poem is a tribute to those Indian soldiers who lost their life fighting for Britishers.
The speaker of poem is Indian Mother who asks questions from Britishers throughout the story. The poem begins with Mother India who is asking Britishers is there anything left which her hands has not given to them. She says we have given lots of expensive gifts of gold, grain and raiment to you.
Whatever you have asked from us, we have given to you. Look we have given to you from east and west, a priceless Jewellery which is captured from my breast by you British people.
The speaker says you had no right to take it but you have snatched it from my Indian children. She says you have snatched our Indian children from their mother’s womb to fight in battleground war. You Britishers have ruin my Indian soldiers life.
The poem speaker says you have gathered my Indian soldiers body like a pearl in their alien graves. The poet is trying to tell us that Britishers has not put any efforts to bring our Indian soldiers dead body from foreign land to India .
They just used them like a machine to fight in a battle. The speakers says that our Indian dead soldier bodies are still sleeping silently at the banks of Persian waves. Wherever war happened, their dead bodies left by Britishers like they have no one to look after. Their dead bodies are still lying with their yellow faces and brave broken hands on foreign lands.
The speaker says even though it wasn’t their fight but still they were forced to fight on several foreign places like Persia, Flanders and France. She says my Indian children don’t want to fight in war but they were forced to do it by Britishers. The speaker says Britishers, Can you feel the pain of tears which i have weep ? Or Can you measure the woe I feel for my dead soldiers ?
She is proud of her Indian soldiers who isn’t afraid to fight in war even though it wasn’t their war to fight. The speaker is proud of her Indian soldier as they faced their death with bravery.
The speaker says her many children died in Britishers war and she is sad about this. But she to have look after her those soldier who are alive and serving their Mother India faithfully. The speaker has a vision that they are going to win for sure but she is not happy for it because she lost her many children to achieve that victory.
When the war of terror and hate will end, new life of peace and prosperity. Than, your love shall offer memorial thanks to the soldier who fought in your higher ranks.
The poet is trying to tell us that people only remembers the leaders not their followers who does all the things and sacrifice their life. The speaker is asking Britishers to not just remembers the higher ranks officer but also remembers the sons of Mother India who fought alongside them during World war I.
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