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Indira Devi of Kapurthala (26 February 1912 – 1 September 1979), nicknamed the Radio Princess, was an Indian socialite and princess, the eldest grandchild of Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of the princely state of Kapurthala in Punjab, British India.
At the age of 23, Devi secretly travelled to London to become an actress. She enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. For a brief period, she worked at London Films with Alexander Korda, and in 1938, she appeared on stage for the first time, when she played the role of a Turkish slave girl in James Laver's The Heart was not Burned. At the onset of World War II, Devi sat the St John Ambulance examinations and qualified in first aid. She subsequently transported casualties during the Blitz. She joined BBC Radio in 1939. In 1941, she became political correspondent for the India team of the BBC, with George Orwell as the talk producer, and with the aim at enlisting Indian support for Britain in the war.
She continued with the BBC after the war, retiring in 1968. She moved to Ibiza, Spain, where she died in 1979.
Indira Devi in Worldwar[]
In November 1943, an Indian princess joined Eric Blair of the BBC to report on the Race's occupation of her homeland, and Mohandas Gandhi's response. Prior to going on the air, the princess told Moishe Russie that the Race was no more prepared to deal with Gandhi's non-violent protests than the British had been. When Blair mused on the alliance that he, a Socialist, had forged with royalty, the princess was quick to remind Blair that they'd both wanted dominion status for India.[1]
Literary comment[]
While the princess is unnamed, Indira Devi is the only Indian princess George Orwell worked with at the BBC in OTL.
References[]
- ↑ Upsetting the Balance, pg. 388-389, mmp.
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