Bhai Zakir
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Bust of Indian-origin spy Noor Inayat Khan to be unveiled in London
LONDON: A bronze bust of Indian-origin "spy princess" Noor Inayat Khan, a first memorial in Britain to either a Muslim or an Asian woman, will be unveiled here next week in honour of the war heroine who died on a secret mission against the Nazis.
The bronze statue sculpted by London-based artist Karen Newman will be unveiled by Britain's Princess Anne on November 8 in Gordon Square, near the house where Noor lived as a child.
The event marks the end of several years of campaigning by the Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust headed by her biographer Shrabani Basu, to revive the memory of the forgotten war heroine.
The campaign has received the support of British Prime Minister David Cameron and several MPs and peers, as well as from eminent women like film maker Gurinder Chadha, stage artist Nina Wadia, and sitarist Anoushka Shankar.
"We are delighted that the Princess Royal is unveiling the bust. It will be the highest honour for Noor," said Shrabani Basu, author of "Spy Princess, The Life of Noor Inayat Khan" and founder of the trust.
"The memorial for Noor will ensure that her story of bravery and sacrifice is not forgotten by future generation," she said.
Noor was sent into France by Winston Churchill's secret Special Operations Executive (SOE) in June 1943, but was betrayed and captured a few months later.
She was shot by the Secret Service in Dachau in September 1944, aged 30, and was posthumously awarded the George Cross as well as the Croix de Guerre by France.
She was one of only three women in the SOE to be awarded the George Cross. The other two - Violette Szabo and Odette Hallowes - have had far more recognition, including films about their lives.
The University London, which owns Gordon Square, gave permission for the installation of the bust in 2010.
Born in Moscow to an Indian father, Hazrat Inayat Khan, founder of the mystical Sufi Order of the West and an American mother, Ora Ray Baker, Noor was descendant of Tipu Sultan, the 18th century ruler of Mysore.
The family lived in London and moved to Paris when Noor was six.
In 1940 as Paris fell to occupation, Noor returned to London to volunteer for the war effort. She joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force and was eventually recruited by the Special Operations Executive (SOE).
As an SOE agent, Noor lived on 4 Taiton Street near Gordon Square and would often spend her off-days reading on a bench in the square.
The trust has raised 60,000 pounds for the memorial from public donations.
The ceremony will feature Dutch Sufi soprano Bep Ragini Pierik, singing one of Noor's poems, Mrs Basu said.
Bust of Indian-origin spy to be unveiled in London - The Economic Times
LONDON: A bronze bust of Indian-origin "spy princess" Noor Inayat Khan, a first memorial in Britain to either a Muslim or an Asian woman, will be unveiled here next week in honour of the war heroine who died on a secret mission against the Nazis.
The bronze statue sculpted by London-based artist Karen Newman will be unveiled by Britain's Princess Anne on November 8 in Gordon Square, near the house where Noor lived as a child.
The event marks the end of several years of campaigning by the Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust headed by her biographer Shrabani Basu, to revive the memory of the forgotten war heroine.
The campaign has received the support of British Prime Minister David Cameron and several MPs and peers, as well as from eminent women like film maker Gurinder Chadha, stage artist Nina Wadia, and sitarist Anoushka Shankar.
"We are delighted that the Princess Royal is unveiling the bust. It will be the highest honour for Noor," said Shrabani Basu, author of "Spy Princess, The Life of Noor Inayat Khan" and founder of the trust.
"The memorial for Noor will ensure that her story of bravery and sacrifice is not forgotten by future generation," she said.
Noor was sent into France by Winston Churchill's secret Special Operations Executive (SOE) in June 1943, but was betrayed and captured a few months later.
She was shot by the Secret Service in Dachau in September 1944, aged 30, and was posthumously awarded the George Cross as well as the Croix de Guerre by France.
She was one of only three women in the SOE to be awarded the George Cross. The other two - Violette Szabo and Odette Hallowes - have had far more recognition, including films about their lives.
The University London, which owns Gordon Square, gave permission for the installation of the bust in 2010.
Born in Moscow to an Indian father, Hazrat Inayat Khan, founder of the mystical Sufi Order of the West and an American mother, Ora Ray Baker, Noor was descendant of Tipu Sultan, the 18th century ruler of Mysore.
The family lived in London and moved to Paris when Noor was six.
In 1940 as Paris fell to occupation, Noor returned to London to volunteer for the war effort. She joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force and was eventually recruited by the Special Operations Executive (SOE).
As an SOE agent, Noor lived on 4 Taiton Street near Gordon Square and would often spend her off-days reading on a bench in the square.
The trust has raised 60,000 pounds for the memorial from public donations.
The ceremony will feature Dutch Sufi soprano Bep Ragini Pierik, singing one of Noor's poems, Mrs Basu said.
Bust of Indian-origin spy to be unveiled in London - The Economic Times
