Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan alias Noor Inayat Khan. Descendant of Tipu Sultan. That unique diamond of Indian origin, who participated as a spy on behalf of Britain and France in the Second World War. Caught by Nazi army in Germany. Tortured in various ways. Kept harassing him continuously for 10 months but could not even know his name. Any kind of information was a long way off. The enraged Nazis shot Noor dead in the torture chamber itself.
It is a very interesting, hair-raising story. This brave girl, at the age of just 30, agreed to take a bullet but did not betray the country. Today i.e. 13th September is the death anniversary of Noor. In view of Noor's contribution, France gave him a military honour, while the United Kingdom posthumously honored him with its highest civilian honour, the George Cross. He was also given a bravery award. Britain issued postage stamps. Built a memorial in Garden Square, London. This memorial is also unique in that it is the first memorial dedicated in honor of any Asian woman. Noor's sacrifice is remembered with great respect in the history of France and Britain. Stories of his bravery are famous in both the countries.
Father died at the age of 13
Noor was born on January 1, 1914 in Moscow. His father was of Indian and mother of American origin. His father Hazrat Inayat Khan was the great grandson of Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore state. He was a religious teacher. He has a major contribution in bringing Indian Sufism to western countries. Noor plays the veena. Writes stories for children. A book, Twenty Jataka Tales, was published at that time at a very young age.
The First World War had just ended when the family moved from Moscow to Britain. The family moved to France when Noor was six years old. The house where this family lived near Paris was gifted to Hazrat Inayat by one of his followers. A mountain of sorrow fell on the family when Noor lost her father at the age of just 13. But with the desire to learn and carry forward his father's legacy, Noor did not stop learning music. Writing stories became the hobby of his life. To meet the household needs, Noor also did some work for French radio.
Blood boiled due to Nazi atrocities and chose Air Force
His life again took a turn when the Second World War started. The armies of France and Germany came face to face. Then the family again came to Britain. Noor was influenced by his father being a Sufi. She began to feel uncomfortable hearing stories of Nazi atrocities. Her blood boiled and she joined the British Air Force in 1940. Gave training as wireless operator. Noor became an officer within a year.
Later Noor was selected for a unit in France. Then he was sent to France as a spy. There Noor's name was Madeline. Two other women were also with Noor. After reaching France, all of them received training to serve as nurses. This made the work of espionage easier. A few months later, he was arrested by the German security services. Noor was the first Asian spy in the Second World War.
Sent to jail, tortured but couldn't get his name revealed
After his arrest, many different officers interrogated Noor but they could not achieve anything. During this time, Noor escaped from custody after getting the opportunity. However, she could only go a short distance before she was caught again. Sensing Noor's intentions, Nazi officers sent him to jail in Germany. Despite a lot of torture there, the officers could not even know his real name. Then ten months later, Nazi officers ordered him to be shot along with three of his comrades in the Dachau concentration camp and a young talent left this world at the age of just 30.
In later days, books focused on Noor were also written. Indian-origin London-based journalist Shravani Basu's book Spy Princess: Noor Inayat Khan gained immense fame. Through this, a lot was known and understood about Noor and his contributions. Stories of Noor's bravery are told in France and Britain. There is not much information available about Noor in India.
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