Theme of the Poem:

The poem entitled ' The Gift of India' was written by the 'Nightingale of India’ Sarojini Naidu
in 1915. It is a patriotic poem, which was included in her volume of poems ‘The Broken
Wing'. In this poem, she captures the sacrifices of the one million of strong Indian army that
fought under the British flag in far - off lands like Egypt, Belgium and Iran. Nearly, seventy
thousands of them fell in the battlefields and an equal number were maimed. She pines for
those who did not return home and bemoans the fact that the colonial authorities gave only
perfunctory tribute to the Indian soldiers who fought with commendable valour and grit.
This poem can, however, be read as an anti-war poem that brings forward the tragic aspects of
wars. The horrid image of the soldiers lying dead in alien lands and the blood-tainted meadows
bring forward a picture that is hard to praise. Mother India's lamentation for the loss of the
Indian soldiers in wars can be seen as a reflection of every Indian mother lamenting the loss of
her martyred son. In the end, she hopes for a world that would be free from the brutality of war
- a world that would be modelled on peace and harmony, a world that will remember the
contribution of the martyred Indian soldiers.
The theme of patriotism is the most evident theme in the poem. This theme of patriotism for the
motherland runs in a lot of other poems by Sarojini Naidu. This poem is a tribute to the
martyred Indian soldiers who gave up their lives in wars fought by the British during the First
world War. Since the very beginning, this theme of patriotism is predominant. Mother India
reminds the world of the priceless treasures that she has gifted the world. She has sent her sons
to foreign lands to fight foreign wars. The Indian soldiers have fought in the battlefield with full
vigour and enthusiasm. They have shed their blood and sweat to fight someone else's war, to
protect the honour of their mother land. This poem brings forward the contributions of the
brave soldiers of India in embodying the spirit of a brave country like India. The poem evokes a
sense of grief at the loss of the Indian soldiers who fought valiantly in the First World War.
However, a sense of pride overcomes the sense of despair as Mother India realizes the
achievements of the soldiers. Sarojini Naidu tries to depict the pain of a mother whose son has
been torn away from her bosom and buried in alien lands. In the poem, the poetess urges the
world to pay respect and homage to the martyred soldiers for their heroism and patriotism so
that their names can be immortalized in the history as the brave men who died to protect the
honour of the country. The poem glorifies the sacrifices of the soldiers for their motherland and
raises a sense of respect and appreciation in the readers for the bold and patriotic Indian
soldiers.
Literature has glorified wars and war-heroes since a very long time. Many writers and poets
have justified wars by praising and romanticizing the war heroes. For several years, people
regarded war as manly endevaour.
This notion was, however, shattered in the beginning of the 20th century when the horrors of
the First World War left its mark on the human civilization. The innumerable death, the damage
and destruction of life and property, the brutality with which men killed each other and the new
weapons and chemicals that were exposed to humanity, turned the gift of nature into a
'wasteland' where ashes were found in place of flowers and blood in place of holy water.
The poem also brings home the idea that war is horrible and destructive. It being the product of
hatred only spreads hatred and ill-will. It takes a heavy toll of precious human lives. Thousands
of Indian soldiers were killed during the World War I. They were fighting on alien lands for an
alien cause. They laid down their lives fighting fearlessly. The sorrow and sufferings of Mother
India can never be comprehended.

Summary of the Poem:

Stanza 1:
Addressing the British, Mother India asks them if there is anything which she has not showered
upon them. She has not deprived them of any of her resources like the richest of garments, food
or gold. She has never denied any form of sacrifice to the world that was needed for a better
tomorrow. She has promptly given away the courageous sons of the nation to the eastern and
western countries without any hesitation to honour her international commitments and to ensure
harmony in the world. She talks of her brave sons who have readily accepted every challenge
that came their way to cater to global commitments as a result of which they are lying buried in
foreign. Mother India agreed to send the Indian soldiers to the land of chaos, death and
destruction to protect the nation's integrity and prestige. She has given up the sons born out of
her womb to the world for the sake of the country's esteem and commitments.
Stanza 2:
Mother India laments the death of the heroic soldiers who fought in the war with the utmost
valour and zeal and are now lying buried in their graves in foreign lands like pearls in their
shells. Over one million Indian troops from Britain's colonial empire had served the British
Army in the First World War, out of which around seventy-five thousand soldiers died in
foreign lands. Some of them are buried along the tranquil Persian sea while others are scattered
like shells on the Egyptian sands. They are lying pale and colourless with hands that have been
broken in the battlefield. There are other brave soldiers whose lifeless bodies lie scattered like
flowers in the blood - tainted meadows of Flanders and France. The bleeding Indian soldiers
chose not only to sacrifice their blood and sweat for their motherland but also to prove the fact
that India has never backed out from its promised commitment. The selfless sacrifice of the
Indian soldiers show that India has always lived up to its expectations proving its loyalty to its
global allies.
Stanza 3:
Mother India asks rhetorical questions to express the fact that there is no possible way in which
the world can measure the intensity of her grief. The world cannot possibly comprehend her
grief and suffering that she had to face at the loss of her martyred sons. Even though she is torn
by the grief in her heart, she is exhilarated by a sense of pride offered by the soldiers. Her pride
in the heroism and spirit of her sons overwhelms her sense of despair and sorrow. She bears
immeasurable pain and anguish in her heart at the thought of parting ways with her sons.
However, she prays for a world in which there is no place for fights, hatred and terror and the
thought of a better world in which peace and harmony is restored gives her hope. Here she is
anticipating their victory which will put an end to the cruelties in the world. In the same time,
she is saddened by the thought of the soldiers who are going to sacrifice their lives to bring
glory to the country.
Stanza 4:
Mother India vehemently expresses her sense of pride in the achievements of the Indian
soldiers. Even though she has suffered a lot, a hope for a better future in which peace is
restored, gives her satisfaction. The poet ends on a note of optimism and hope. Mother India
hopes that when the world of terror and hate shall cease, a new world will be formed in which
peace and harmony would bring joy in people's lives. Mother India expects the world to respect
and remember the soldiers who fought bravely in the wars and sacrificed their lives for a
peaceful future. She also hopes that the contribution of the Indian soldiers will be recognized by
the world. She wants people to pay their homage and gratitude to the soldiers so that they can
be immortalized in the history of the world for their valour and heroism.
Critical Analysis of the Poem:
Introduction:
The poem entitled ‘The Gift of India’ is a poem written in 1915 by the Indian poet freedom
fighter and politician Sarojini Naidu. The poem is a tribute to the contribution of Indian soldiers
in World War I. Over ten lakh Indian soldiers from the British Indian Empire served in the
Allied forces in the First World War. A vast number of them sacrificed their lives. Indian troops
fought in different locations of significance to the allied stronghold and had an important share
in many of the battles throughout the course of the war. However, the contribution of the Indian
soldiers is overlooked in the vast expanse of the war's history. These selfless sacrifices of the
Indian soldiers for the western agitation are captured in Naidu's poem The Gift of India.
The poem not only concentrates on the theme of soldiers making their ultimate sacrifice for
someone else's war, but also talks about the numerous benefits the foreign countries reaped
from India. The poet regards these benefits as gifts given by India to the colonisers. The poem
can be regarded as a kind of reminder or appeal to the allied forces to remember the Indian
contribution to their victory.
Moral of the Poem:
The poetess brings to us the idea that war is horrible and destructive. It being the product of
hatred only spreads hatred and ill- will, it takes a heavy toll of precious human lives. Thousands
of Indian soldiers were killed during the World War I. They were fighting on alien lands for an
alien cause. Another idea which the poetess brings to us, is that the sacrifices of brave people
cannot and should not be forgotten. Brave soldiers who die fighting deserve to be honoured and
remembered.
Pathos in the Poem:
The poetess expresses the deep sense of sadness and grief felt by all Indians at the brutal
killings of Indian soldiers. No one can measure the tears of grief that the despair in her heart
and the hope that comforts the anguish. She has a sad vision of the bloody flag wavering,
proclaiming victory. The soldier died but they won a decisive victory for their masters.
"Can ye measure the grief of the tears I weep
Or compass the woe of the watch I keep?
Or the pride that thrills thro' my heart's despair
And the hope that comforts the anguish of prayer?
And the far sad glorious vision I see
Of the torn red banners of victory.”

Optimistic Attitude:
In the end, a note of optimism and hope overpowers the mood of the poem. The poetess
anticipates a time when man would be free from the shackles of dominance and cruelty and live
in a world where hatred will be overpowered by love. She urges the world to pay respect and
homage to the martyred soldiers for their heroism so that their names can be immortalized in
the history as the brave men who died to protect the honour of the country. She hopes that the
brave soldiers would be remembered with gratitude for their valorous deeds and the coming
generation would remember their sacrifices.
Form, Structure and Language:
The poem is an elegy written in lyrical vein. It consists of twenty-four lines. It has a simple and
elegant rhyme scheme of aabbcc. Each of the stanzas has six lines, where the first two lines
introduce either an idea or create a picture, the next two lines build up on them and the final
two present a sort of small conclusion for the stanza. The poem as an entire piece has a subtle
flow in it where mother India herself proclaims proudly her gifts to the west. The first stanza
introduces the various gifts India has bestowed upon the colonisers, which include both its
riches and people. The second stanza focuses more on the wistful state of martyred Indian
soldiers. The third stanza talks of the grief those deaths have brought. And finally, the fourth
stanza is a sort of appeal to honour the sacrifice of the Indian soldiers for the cause of war.
The poem personifies the country India as a mother, who sorrowfully yet proudly laments the
loss of her sons for the British cause in the First World War. The words and phrases such as
'priceless treasures torn from my breast', 'sons of my stricken womb', and 'martyred sons' clearly
establish the mother - son relationship.
The Use of Imagery:
The poetess has excelled in incorporating poetic imagery in her poems. In this poem too we
find colour, auditory and visual imagery.
Colour Imagery:
The richness of material resources of India —snatched by British— is symbolized by ‘gold’
which is not only a metal but a colour symbolizing traditions. Also, the ‘pearl’ like Indian
soldiers are dead, their brows have now turned pale, the beautiful coloured flowers have now
withered away and the meadows of Flanders and France have turned ‘blood-brown’. The ‘red
banners of victory’ bring suggestion of a victory at the cost of the blood of Indian soldiers. The
colour Imagery of red is also prominent in the last line when mother India asks to remember the
blood of her martyred sons.
Auditory Imagery:
The soldiers moving to the call of 'the drum-beats of the duty' is an example of auditory
imagery.
Visual Imagery:
The image of the dead Indian soldiers 'gathered like pearls in their alien graves’ is a very
pictorial representation of the ravages of wars.
The Use of Figures of Speech:
Similes:
The poetess has made use of judiciously selected and richly embellished similes to express the
tender and proud feelings of a mother for her dead sons. In the poem, the soldiers have been
likened to pearls. The simile compares their graves to oysters. The pride of the mother is
exhibited in the comparison of the soldiers to pearls. They are also compared to flowers mown
down accidently. The comparison brings out the tender feelings of the mother.
1. “Gathered like pearls in their graves.”
2."Scattered like shells on Egyptian sands.”
3. “They are strewn like blossoms mown down by chance.”
Oxymoron:
It is figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction. For
instance:
"And the far sad glorious vision I see.”
Personification:
It is a figure of speech in which an inanimate object or abstract ideas are invested with the
attributes of living beings. The most evident example of personification in this poem is
observed when the country India is given the emotions and attributes of a mother. The whole
poem is narrated from the perspective of a mother who laments the loss of her sons but in the
same time, is proud of their commitments. The entire poem is narrated in the first-person
narrator. For example, she calls the Indian soldiers her 'priceless treasures' torn from her breast.
Other instances of personifications are following:
1. "Remember the blood of my martyred sons.”
2. "Can ye measure the grief of the tears I weep.
Or compass the woe of the watch I keep?"
Metaphor:
Metaphor is a figure of speech in which a comparison between two different things is implied,
but not clearly started. For instance, in this poem, the Indian soldiers are compared to 'priceless
treasures.’
Alliteration:
Alliteration is the close repetition of consonant sounds in a sentence. For example:

1. “Silent they sleep---" ('s')

2. “Scattered like shells...” ('s')
3. “They lie with pale brows and brave, broken hands.” ('b')
Rhetorical Question:
Rhetorical question is a question asked in order to create a dramatic impact or make a point
rather than to get an answer. An instance of rhetoric can be seen in the line:
"Can measure the grief of the tears I weep
Or compass the woe of the watch I keep?”