Happy New Year! Welcome to and another episode of Unruly Figures. But once her story broke, it became a sensation. There are countless TV and film adaptations of her mission and tragic death, as well as several biographies. London is littered with plaques and statues devoted to her. Just last year, Queen Camilla unveiled a new portrait of Noor at the Royal Air Force Club and announced that a room would be named in her honor.
If you like this show and want more of it, please become a paying subscriber over on Substack! Coming out March 5, wherever books are old. Preorder yours now! Preorder Your Copy Now. Noor Inayat Khan was born on January 1, in Moscow. Her full name, Noor-un-nissa, means Light Among Nations, which feels prophetic given how her story goes.
It was from his side of the family that Noor gained her royal heritage—her great-great-great-grandfather was Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore who died resisting British invasion. Inayat Khan was a Sufi mystic. When Ora ran away to marry Inayat, her family disowned her and she never saw them again; she took on the name Pirani soon after. But Pirani never really got over this rupture in her life. Inayat, whom Pirani loved obsessively, was away a lot, traveling to spread Sufi teachings in the West, and so Pirani was often depressed and struggled to get out of bed.
This left Noor in charge of her three younger siblings a lot, as well as often in charge of trying to cheer Pirani up. She often wrote Pirani poems, including one on her birthday every year. Noor was pretty devout, and also adored her father, so understanding what she learned from him is a key part of unlocking her own choices as a child and adult. Inayat was also a talented musician, initially leaving India by traveling in a band with Mata Hari, and he later became good friends with the composer Claude Debussy.
Inayat saw the divine in most things. When Noor was just two months old, still living Moscow, he declared to his group of fellow theosophists that Noor was already a mystic; rather than doubtful, the theosophists were impressed—for them, a baby could be a mystic.
