Presenting the Indian Women and War project at HMS President

Hernoor Grewal, Kiran Sahota and Shrabani Basu

I was extremely excited to announce that I had collaborated with the Royal Navy for the Indian Women and War project. So, when I was invited to present the project at HMS President there was no chance another rail strike was going to stop this evening. For this special occasion even, my glittery dress made an appearance!

As per usual at the event there was lots to do but I was excited that stories from past women (WRINS) were going to be highlighted and that there are South Asian women today in the Royal Navy that have personal stories of their journeys. With invitations sent out and an evening of fun and learning, the project was also going to educate the Royal Navy of past histories which they did not know.

I know it is rare for community heritage projects to be invited to host an event aboard HMS President, so this was a good platform to ensure the project worked alongside the Royal Navy. Amongst the guests and volunteers was the Chief Executive, Eilish McGuinness, from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, who spoke about how the funding helped create a community project that enhances learning history that is not taught in schools. Without the funding myself and the community would not have been able to have had the chance to explore these women’s stories so it was an honour to hear that the funders liked the project.

The Royal Navy also admitted that so much more can be uncovered when we all work together and by using this platform to shine a light on women’s history could be the beginning of a better understanding of the entire contribution made to the global war. It felt a little surreal that after all the hard work we were given such a beautiful space (who doesn’t love the backdrop of Tower Bridge all lit up at night) to speak about the way women have been overlooked. Our volunteers loved the evening as with this project they are entering spaces that once would not have been possible.

Now we could not have the story of Noor Inayat Khan without Shrabani Basu saying a few words. Shrabani shared that the project had used images from her private collection and how we were telling the story of how Noor was everything you would not expect from a spy. A woman how was not into violence and advocated for peace, to then enter a career that would help her send messages from France to London. We had friends such as Sukhman and Hernoor Grewal join us as well as many of our supporting partners. After the film screenings, discussions the feedback was overwhelming. “Why don’t we know this history? Why were women removed from narratives and how can we ensure that people are learning about this history?”

A massive thank you to Chief officer Janine Potts and Lt Cdr Haines who helped plan this event, invited me and with the entire Royal Navy team working behind the scenes. It certainly was a night that HMS President will not forget in a hurry, so many South Asian women filling the room.