Super Woman: Learning From The Spy Princess

It is believed that only a person who has suffered will know the value of true happiness. This thought holds ground in almost every sphere of life but one should also remember that relating to another person’s suffering can also lead to the same conclusion. If you look around and try to observe the various kinds of ordeals people go through in their lives for mere survival, that can also motivate you to have better appreciation about your own life. You will find that despite desperate circumstances and every odd staked against them, some of these people, including the super woman we are going to talk about today, do not lose courage and bring out the best from the situation.

Noor Inayat Khan, famously known as The Spy Princess is one such super woman who had smilingly taken up the task needed for her country and kept aside her own dreams, sacrificed her life for the greater good. She was the first female radio operator of special operations executive to be sent from Britain to occupied France during the Second World War. Her father, Hazrat Inayat Khan, belonged to an Indian Muslim family whose mother was a descendant of the uncle of Tipu Sultan, the 18th-century ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. Her mother, Ameena Begum, was an American from New Mexico.

While working for Britain in occupied France under Winston Churchill’s order, she used the code name Madeleine. From June 1943 to October 1943, Noor Inayat Khan was one of the most daring and successful spy of the resistance. She was offered a chance to go back to Britain during the mass arrest of her fellow agents but she refused to do the same and continued with her duty being a true super woman. At a certain point, she was the only remaining wireless operator still at large in Paris and the most wanted British Agent. Her quest came to an end when she was betrayed by another SOE officer or his sister. Her interrogation lasted over a month but she did not give out even a single piece of information. During this period, she attempted to escape twice but unfortunately was arrested.

Due to her escape attempts, she was sent to Germany on 27 November 1943 and for next ten months she was kept imprisoned in shackled, both hands and feet. Even in such despairing condition, she did not lose her super woman spirit. She secretly scratched the name of her mother and her London’s address on the base of a cup and was able to pass it on to another inmate which later resulted in the disclosure of her identity. On 13 September 1944, she was executed after being severely beaten up with three other SOE agents.

Her country has bestowed her with many honors that she rightly deserved but her true legacy will live on if we can draw lessons from the brief but inspiring life of this super woman who was a direct descendant of Tipu Sultan and had rightly served the pride of her blood. Her last word was Liberté which means “Freedom”.