In Noor's Jahan

Baldwin's ability to bring her characters to life has never been in question and it reigns supreme now...

Latest Issue

Anglo-Indians in 1940s
The Anglo-Indians Of Mhow

There was a time in the 40s when many Anglo-Indian families moved to Mhow. Most of them worked as railways personnel. But now, most of the families have moved abroad

Denzil Lobo
Anglo-Indians In Whitefield: Preserving The Present

Established as an Anglo-Indian village in 1800s, Whitefield in Bengaluru is now an IT hub. However, in some lanes, one can still find ‘Little Gem’ and ‘Perfect Peace’—names of houses of Anglo-Indian families

Anisha Reddy
A Novel On Anglo-Indians
The Story of McCluskieganj

Journalist Vikas Kumar Jha first visited McCluskieganj in 1990 to write a story for a magazine. But he fell in love with the unique Anglo-Indian town and ended up writing a novel that has won many awards and accolades

Vikas Kumar Jha
McCluskieganj
Heterotopia

A world within a world is running out of time. But the voices of McCluskieganj’s past continue to resonate within its ruins, even as development takes over

Chinki Sinha
Opinion
The Future Of Anglo-Indians In India

Where are Anglo-Indians, as a community, heading? What does the future hold for them? Will they be around or would they be relegated to the pages of history books?

Harry Maclure

Outlook Web Desk

More from Outlook Web Desk

View All

Updated: 05 Feb 2022 9:59 pm

The life of Noor Inayat Khan belongs to the Lost and Found department of literature. The legend of Noor rapidly overtook reality, leaving behind a confused tale of an exotic Indian princess who spied for the French Resistance during World War Two and left a trail of broken hearts.

The truth was, as always, more complicated. Noor was the daughter of Sufi scholar and musician Hazrat Inayat Khan, made no claim herself to royal blood and was brought up in a family both iconoclastic and deeply traditional. She studied at the Sorbonne until 1940, when she fled with her family to England for safety as France was invaded. But Noor had met and fallen in love with a Jewish musician, Armand, while she was in France. She had also discovered the appeal of nobler causes. In England, she joined special intelligence services as a radio operator and was sent to Occupied France, one of the small band of men and women sent to aid the French Resistance.