The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : The spy who wowed all

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Wednesday, Aug 08, 2007
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Karnataka - Bangalore

The spy who wowed all

Staff Reporter

— Photo:V.Sreenivasa. Murthy

Sharing thoughts: Writer Shrabani Basu reading her book ’Spy Princess’ in Bangalore on Tuesday.

BANGALORE: She was Tipu Sultan’s great-granddaughter’s granddaughter. But like her illustrious ancestor, Noor Inayat Khan did not live to see old age, dying young as she did. Or rather was shot dead as a spy, betrayed by a colleague in occupied France in the heat of World War II. But to tell the fascinating story of this descendent of Tipu Sultan and only Asian secret agent, it took the skilled labour of Indian journalist Shrabani Basu.

The well-deserved popularity of Ms. Basu’s book on Noor, ‘Spy Princess’ was a tribute to that three-year-old work of intensive research. Browsing through a thousand files, culling out a load of graphic historical images, interviewing men and women deeply connected to Noor, Ms. Basu had the gripping tale unfold with dramatic ease. As the author read out a condensed version of Noor’s story for a motley Bangalore crowd on Tuesday, Noor Inayat Khan emerged out of the curtains of forgotten history. Born in Moscow, raised as a Sufi Muslim, Noor’s heroic foray into the labyrinthine world of Hitler’s fascism had caught the journalistic eye of Ms. Basu. Trained in Britain as a wireless operator, Noor had been recruited by the SOE. Under the code name of Madeleine, she had joined a group that sabotaged communication lines. Her circuit’s collapse and arrest of colleagues failed to deter her, as Noor remained in occupied France as the last operator.

In 1943, Noor was betrayed, captured, probed and tortured by the Gestapo. Her dramatic but failed escape attempts eventually led her to Germany and death by shooting. “Noor’s last word was liberty. But before that, she was involved in a dangerous cat and mouse game with the Gestapo. She did that as she single-handedly pursued the job of six radio operators,” Ms. Basu said. Ms. Basu’s pursuit of Noor had her cull out letters of eyewitnesses, who had captured the secret agent’s torture. “Noor was labelled a highly dangerous criminal. She was regularly beaten and singled out for further torture.”

The box of photographs that Ms. Basu picked up from Noor’s family spurred her to explore the story with renewed vigour. “The national archives released many secret files and that was a mine of information. Her family too gave access to all her records. .” Ms. Basu’s exploration took her to Noor’s brothers Hidayat Khan and Vilayat Khan. “Vilayat died when I was writing the book. ,” said Ms. Basu. But before his death, Vilayat had a word about Noor’s colleague who betrayed her. Vilayat told me that I am a Sufi and I am supposed to forget and forgive. But even at 87, he was not ready to forgive,” recalled the author.

Touched by Noor’s inspiring story, the audience at Ms. Basu’s reading wanted a key question answered. Did Noor’s secret service for the British run against the freedom struggle? Ms. Basu was prepared for that. “No. She had come from a very politically aware family. She told the British that as long as the war was on, she would remain loyal. For her, it was a question of principles.”

Acknowledging Noor’s die hard spirit, the British and French governments honoured her with the George Cross and Croix de Guerre awards. But it took Ms. Basu’s book to let the Indian Government and Indians know that somebody called Noor Inayat Khan once existed. Shyam Benegal’s forthcoming movie based on her book and the translated works in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Assamese should take Noor’s exploits to the realm of folklore.

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