Princess from Punjab activist in England

Some Sundays ago this column carried my article about five British, an Irish and American who came to India and joined the Quit India protest in the early decades of the 20^th century. Most of them were influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and his philosophical and political principles. Many lived on in India after independence was gained, serving the country in several ways. Annie Besant (1847-1933) was one of the seven. She was a socialist, theosophist, freemason, women’s rights and Home Rule activist, ardently supporting Irish and Indian self rule. Coming under the influence of Helena Blavatsky, she joined the Theosophical Society and moved to India in 1890. Eight years later she established the Central Hindu School and in 1922 the Hyderabad (Sind) National Collegiate Board in Bombay.

Today’s article is about a woman involved in the reverse process; the other side of the coin as it were: namely a woman from India taking residence in England and fighting for a British women’s cause.

The suffragette of Indian royal birth

Sophia Duleep Singh (1876- 1948) was born to Maharajah Sir Duleep Singh, the last Sikh emperor of Punjab and his first wife Bamba Muller. He had been exiled to England when his kingdom was annexed by the British in 1849. Sophia was the fifth of his six children, and they lived in Suffolk. He presented the Koh-i-Noor diamond to Queen Victoria and earned her favour. She gave them a house and a yearly allowance. Royal patronage was so strong from Queen Victoria to Duleep Singh, that Sophia’s godmother was the Queen.

When Sophia grew up she was gifted a grace and favour apartment by the queen in the Hampton Court Palace. “From an early age, Sophia learned to negotiate between the easy existence granted to her as a member of Britain’s elite and her ambiguous position as an Indian woman living in Britain during the heyday of the British Empire” wrote Elizabeth Baker in her book British Women’s Suffrage Campaign. I also garnered facts from Meryl Sebastian’s BBC News article of July 24, 2023, in which she quotes from Anuk Anand’s 2015 biography: Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary, “which was pieced together from detailed archival research, police and intelligence records and firsthand accounts of people who knew her.”

Sophia visited India about four times, closely monitored by British officials who feared that having her among the Punjabis would create problems. “By April 1907, Sophia had spent six months in India and had witnessed the growing political turbulence. The push for self-determination had seduced her.” She met freedom fighters and was moved by speeches made. She returned to India in 1924 with her sister Bamba and determined to travel in their old Sikh kingdom. Recognising the two, crowds thronged to see them shouting out: “Our princesses are here.” Nothing untoward however resulted, even when they visited Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsa, where on April 13, 1919 – Baisakhi Day – a large crowd gathered to peacefully protest against the repressive measures of the British. Under orders from Sir Michael Francis O’Dwyer, Col Dyer ordered his army contingent to open fire killing hundreds of innocent Indians trapped within a confined space.

Activism

In 1908 Sophia joined the British Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), a suffrage group led by Emmeline Pankhurst. Sophia also campaigned for not being taxed with slogan ‘No Vote, No Tax’. In 1910 she was part of a delegation of 300 suffragettes who marched towards Parliament in London, seeking an audience with the then PM, H H Asquith. He refused to meet the women and a demonstration turning violent, they were beaten by police and men who crowded in. Many demonstrators were injured and the day came to be called Black Friday in the UK. Some 119 were arrested among whom was Sophia.

During World War II she left London and moved to Buckinghamshire with her sister Catherine and three evacuees from London. Sophia died in her sleep on August 22, 1948 at the age of 71. According to her wishes her ashes were brought to Lahore by her sister Bamba, but where they were interred or scattered is not known. She was not well known in India. However, she is honoured in Britain and recently a plaque honouring her was unveiled at her former home – Faraday House, Hampton Court – with the legend “England Heritage / Princess Sophia Duleep Singh/ 1876-1948/ Suffragette lived here.” It was promoted by the Sikh community in London. A film about her is being produced, to be released next year.

Local

The Women’s Franchise Union in 1927 had as secretary Agnes de Silva, wife of George E de Silva of Kandy – Mayor, MP and Minister of Health – and sister of Prof Andreas Nell. The group went in delegation to the Donoughmoe Commission on Constitutional Reform constituted by the British government in 1928. The Commission advocated suffrage be granted to women 30 years of age and older. A new constitution was formed and in 1931, women in Ceylon got the vote for all over 21 years, regardless of their educational status or property possession; one of the earliest of south and south eastern Asian countries to gain voting rights.