Noor Inayat Khan, an undercover agent for the Allied powers in WWII, recently came into light for being the first South Asian women to be honoured with the ‘Blue Plaque’ a scheme run by the ‘English Heritage’ to commemorate eminent personalities for their extraordinary contributions. Issac Newton, Mahatma Gandhi, Virginia Woolf are some other recipients of this prestigious accolade.
Noor Inayat Khan or Nora Baker was born on January 1st,1914 in Moscow, Russia to a famous Indian Muslim and Sufi Musician Inayat Khan, a direct descendant of Tipu Sultan and Peerani Amina Begum, born as Ora Baker, an American traveller. In early days because of her keen affinity towards music and poetry, Noor decided to make a career in this field, later becoming a perpetual contributor to children’s magazines and French radio. However, after the outbreak of World War II, her family was trapped in Nazi-occupied France and was forced to move to England on June 22, 1940.
Desolations of war never discouraged her and she staunchly upheld her pacifist beliefs ‘to not hurt anyone’ but also to take part in the war because she abhorred fascism and wanted this war to end. Despite her diverse identity and opinions, she was focused and firm to take part in the war. Though her family was a marginalised minority in Britain, she was adamant to offer full support to Britain and France not only because of her nationalistic sentiments, but also because she believed in the idea of ‘Independent India ‘and she was of opinion that if Indians would take part in the war against Germany, Britain will be compelled to leave India.
She joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force in November 1940, but soon she felt that she had hit a dead-end and there was nothing more that she could have contributed. Later she applied for a commission and soon F (France) Section of Special Operation Executive (SOE) recruited her making her the first female to be sent to France, in the capacity of a spy. The previous training in wireless telegraph made her fast and accurate. Initially, she was supposed to be in Nazi-occupied France for three weeks as the job was ‘most dangerous’, she was always surrounded by Gestapo, secret Nazi police and SS officers, but defying all the odds she managed to stay there for three years working as an undercover agent sending and receiving messages in the circuit back and forth.
Back in her training days, her instructors described her as someone who was ‘physically unsuitable’, ‘pretty scared of weapons’, ‘very feminine’, ‘emotional’, ‘imaginative’ et cetera. However, regardless of her perceived shortcomings, her competency in wireless operation and fluency in French helped her to remain there for a long time.
Unfortunately, on October 13th, 1843 she was betrayed by a woman named René Gary, who worked as a double agent. Noor was arrested and taken to a prison in Paris where she was brutally beaten by Nazi police. All these brutalities never deterred her soul. And till the very end, she managed to protect every paper and was reluctant to share any confidential information with the Germans. Then one day she was abruptly transferred to Dachau Concentration Camp where she was beaten up ferociously by SS Officers before being shot from behind her back at dawn.
Noor was the one who reflected ethnic diversity in Britain’s conservative society, some hundred years back, she was the one who upheld nationalistic sentiments in the times of war for both India and Britain, she was fierce, defiant and in today’s world, she is an inspiration for all of us because she immortalised the principles of non-violence and harmony, for which she also unhesitatingly sacrificed her life.
Noor, in 1949, was awarded the George Cross, the highest honour in the UK and French’s, Croix de Guerre with silver star, posthumously. In 2019, it was announced that she would be honoured with ‘Blue Plaque’ at her wartime home in London, 4 Taviton Street, Bloomsbury.
She was indeed the ‘Noor’ (light) not only for allied power in dark times but also for us today as she is an icon of gallant and valour and an indisputable epitome of sacrifice.
Author-
Deewanshi Vats
Deewanshi Vats is a third year student of Philosophy at Daulat Ram College. Photographer, traveller ,orator and creator are the words that best describe Deewanshi. She has immense interest in World and Indian history ,a jovial and effervescent soul, she puts in enormous effort in whatever she does. You can find her debating and discussing about political and social issues anywhere and everywhere.
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