A presentation about the true story of Nita Singh’s remarkable life, based on her extensive personal archive. Nita was always fascinated by India. As a young woman in 1930s London, she joined the India League, run by the charismatic barrister Krishna Menon, later the first Indian Ambassador to the UK and UN, and co-founder of Penguin Books. The League in those days was a subversive organization whose members were subject to police raids and harassment. In 1943 Nita travelled to India on a troop convoy. In Ambala, Lahore, and Punjab, she witnesses the dying days and cruelty of the Raj and the agony of Partition. Through an extraordinary range of friendships, from Menon to Sir Feroz Noon Khan and many others, we see first-hand the liberation of a great nation. The program will consist of a book discussion with distinguished writer, playwright, and director, Nirjay Mahindru followed by a Q&A session chaired by David Salariya.
Melanie Hughes trained at the Central School of Speech & Drama. She went on to act in theatre, television, and films. She began writing for Ken Russell in the TV series Lady Chatterley and worked on further projects for him, the BBC, London Films, and Union Pictures. Melanie is now a full-time writer.
Nirjay Mahindru is the author of several published works on Indian themes, including “Mandragora, King of India”, “Golgotha” (Indians in Britain in Victorian times), and other works on Indian mythology and folklore. He is also the author of the award-winning play “The Asian Monologue.”