Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary

In 1876, Sophia Duleep Singh was born into Indian royalty. Her father, Maharajah Duleep Singh, was heir to the Kingdom of the Sikhs, one of the greatest empires of the Indian subcontinent, a realm that stretched from the lush Kashmir Valley to the craggy foothills of the Khyber Pass and included the mighty cities of Lahore and Peshawar. It was a territory irresistible to the British, who plundered everything, including the fabled Koh-I-Noor diamond. Exiled to England, the dispossessed Maharajah transformed his estate at Elveden in Suffolk into a Moghul palace, its grounds stocked with leopards, monkeys, and exotic birds. Sophia, god-daughter of Queen Victoria, was raised a genteel aristocratic Englishwoman: presented at court, afforded grace and favor lodgings at Hampton Court Palace and photographed wearing the latest fashions for the society pages. But when, in secret defiance of the British government, she travelled to India, she returned a revolutionary. Sophia transcended her heritage to devote herself to battling injustice and inequality, a far cry from the life to which she was born. Her causes were the struggle for Indian Independence, the fate of the lascars, the welfare of Indian soldiers in the First World War – and, above all, the fight for female suffrage. She was bold and fearless, attacking politicians, putting herself in the front line and swapping her silks for a nurse's uniform to tend wounded soldiers evacuated from the battlefields. Meticulously researched and passionately written, this enthralling story of the rise of women and the fall of empire introduces an extraordinary individual and her part in the defining moments of recent British and Indian history.

About the Author :
Anita Anand has been a radio and television journalist for almost twenty years. She is the presenter of Any Answers, the political phone-in programme on BBC Radio 4. During her career, she has also presented Drive, Doubletake and the Anita Anand Show on Radio 5 Live, and Saturday Live, The Westminster Hour, Beyond Westminster, Midweek and Woman's Hour on Radio 4. On BBC television she has presented The Daily Politics, The Sunday Politics and Newsnight. She has interviewed five Indian Prime Ministers, three from Pakistan, two from Great Britain and one from Bangladesh. She lives in west London. Tania Rodrigues is a London based actor and voice artist, working on stage, screen and audio. She has always had a passion for reading and has narrated many award winning audiobooks, including Booker and Waterstones prize winners and literary classics. She is the narrator and the Zonk in the new ‘In The Night Garden’ animation specials and has also voiced numerous games and science fiction audio dramas, including Doctor Who, Torchwood and Blake’s 7.

Review :
'Anand is a strong, confident writer . A rollickingly enjoyable read: a comprehensively researched and zippy account of a profoundly unusual life.' 'Sophia is so well researched that this is likely to remain a definitive account. Anand's passion shines.' 'Anand in her latest book uncovers not just an intriguing female life, but also an important perspective on British-Indian colonial history. Fresh and well written. What a story, and what a successful telling of it.' 'Anand vividly paints the picture of a society girl turned revolutionary. With deftness and sensibility, Anand tells of the extraordinary contradictions at the heart of the relationship between the Queen and this family. Anand's skill is to bring to life a character whose name does not figure in the annals of the suffragette movement.'