The Princess who fought for women's right to vote

Amritsar

On August 22, 1948, Princess Sophia Duleep Singh died in her sleep in west London. The daughter of Maharaja Duleep Singh, the last ruler of the Sikh Empire and granddaughter of Sher-e-Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Princess Sophia was a prominent figure in the British suffragette movement, fighting for the women's right to vote. Her unique position as a princess made her a powerful symbol of resistance against patriarchal and imperial rule.

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Sophia inherited her father's sense of stolen identity and anger, but unlike him and her sister Bamba, she was not passionate about reclaiming the Sikh empire. She expressed anger against imperialism through other ways. After the annexation of the Punjab to British territories, a young Duleep Singh was exiled to England in 1854. Under the guardianship of British army surgeon John Login and his wife, who were devout Christians, Duleep Singh converted to Christianity. He married Bamba Muller in 1864, and made several attempts to return to India and reclaim his throne but was unsuccessful.

Born on August 8, 1876, Sophia spent her early childhood in Suffolk. She was educated at home and developed a passion for hockey, riding, photography and music. She was one of the few women who used to ride a bicycle publically in England.

Sophia joined the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), a leading suffragette organisation, in 1909 and participated in protests and marches, including the famous 'Black Friday' protest of 1910. She was photographed selling subscriptions to the 'Suffragette' newspaper outside Hampton Court Palace. She was summoned by the court twice for refusing to pay taxes, citing 'No taxation without representation'. Denying the 1911 census, she wrote on the form, 'No vote, no census. As women do not count. They refused to be counted. I have a conscientious objection to filling up this form.'

Navtej Sarna, author of "The Exile", a novel based on Duleep Singh's life, said: 'Duleep Singh had seven children and Sophia was the youngest daughter. She was too young to be part of her father’s journey to reclaim the kingdom but she charted her own path. She led the suffragette movement. Duleep Singh was close to his children, but in later years, he went to Europe and remarried. The children, however, retained their linkage to Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Duleep Singh and their heritage. Bamba permanently moved to Lahore.'

Sophia visited Punjab twice, first in 1907 and then in 1924. In 1907, she visited Amritsar and Lahore with her sister Bamba Sutherland. During this trip, she met freedom activists like Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Lala Lajpat Rai. She was impressed with Lajpat Rai's speeches, which further fuelled her desire to oppose British imperialism.

Poverty in British India disturbed Sophia. During her second visit, she travelled to Lahore, Amritsar, Murree and Kashmir with her sister. In her diary, she wrote about the love and affection people had for Ranjit Singh. In Lahore, excited to see the princesses, the crowds shouted, ‘The princesses are here, the granddaughters of Maharaja Ranjit Singh!’ She also visited the Jallianwala Bagh, the place of the 1919 massacre.

During World War I, Sophia organised flag days for Punjabi troops of the British Indian Army and even nursed them at Brighton Pavilion and other hospitals. Many felt honoured and requested for mementos to take back home. She obliged, handing out signed photographs of herself.

An ailing soldier belonging to '15 Sikhs', Kartar Singh, wrote back home in 1916, ‘My friend, this is the photo of our king’s granddaughter, he who was King of the Sikhs, Ranjit Singh. She has distributed her photo amongst Sikh brethren at the depot (Milford).'

Sophia remains an inspiring figure, symbolising the intersection of British and Indian history, and the fight for social justice.