Joseph Quinn speaks to Indian journalist, bestselling author and historian, Shrabani Basu, about the life and career of legendary SOE agent, Noor Inayat Khan.
In this, the second of three special podcast episodes recorded for South Asian Heritage Month, Shrabani documents the extraordinary origins of Noor Khan, a pacifist Sufi Muslim woman, whose life took an unlikely turn during the Second World War. Shrabani shares with Joseph why this young Indian-American took the decision to serve as a member of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), before being selected for training as a member of F-Section, Special Operations Executive. Shrabani details Noor's time as British-serving spy in Nazi-occupied France before her capture, interrogation, torture and ultimate murder at the hands of German Gestapo and SS authorities. She also reveals why Noor Khan has come to symbolise the contribution of British India towards the struggle against fascism, and how people all over the world have come to love and admire this brave and beautiful young woman as a symbol of resistance in defiance of Nazi tyranny.
