Norah Richards facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Norah Richards
Norah Richards, from a 1940 issue of The Indian Listener
Born	Norah Mary Hutman 29 October 1876 Ireland
Died	3 March 1971 India
Occupation	Playwright, radio presenter, writer, actress

Norah Richards (born October 29, 1876 – died March 3, 1971) was an actress and theatre expert from Ireland. She was sometimes called the "Lady Gregory of the Punjab". This means she was a very important person for theatre in Punjab, much like Lady Gregory was in Ireland. Norah spent 60 years (from 1911 to 1971) helping the culture of the Punjab area grow.

She first came to Punjab in 1911. In 1914, she helped produce the first play ever written in the Punjabi language. It was called Dulhan ("The Bride") and was written by her student, I. C. Nanda.

In 1970, Punjabi University in Patiala gave her a special honorary degree. This was called a DLitt. They gave it to her because of her great work for Punjabi culture, especially for Punjabi drama.

Early Life and Education

Norah Mary Hutman was born in Ireland. She studied in many different places around the world. These included schools in Belgium, at Oxford University in England, and in Sydney, Australia.

Career in India

When she was young, Norah became an actress and was very good at it.

She married Philip Ernest Richards, who was an English teacher. In 1908, Norah came to India because her husband got a job. He was going to teach English literature at Dyal Singh College in Lahore.

Norah Richards quickly became involved in cultural activities at the college. Her energy helped start a lot of serious theatre work there. At that time, Lahore was a main center for Punjabi culture. Norah wrote many plays in English that were based on Punjabi stories. She also directed some plays. More importantly, she encouraged students to write their own short plays and perform them.

Norah was also interested in theosophy, which is a spiritual philosophy. She was active in the theosophy movement. She also supported the home-rule movement led by Dr. Annie Besant. This movement wanted India to have more control over its own government.

Life in Kangra Valley

After her husband died in 1920, Norah went back to England. But she returned to India in 1924. She found a way to settle in the beautiful Kangra Valley. She made her home in a village called Andretta, Himachal Pradesh.

During the time of the British Raj, many British people bought land in the hill areas of British India. One British settler who was leaving India gave his property to Norah. This property became known as the Woodlands Estate.

Norah chose to live like the villagers around her. She built a simple mud house with a straw roof for herself. She named her home Chameli Niwas. Her 15-acre estate was full of tall trees and wild flowers. This showed how much she loved nature.

Norah started a drama school there. Many famous people from Punjabi drama came from her school. These included Ishwar Chand Nanda, Dr. Harcharan Singh, Balwant Gargi, and Gurcharan Singh.

Theatre Festivals and Legacy

Every year in March, Norah organized a week-long festival. During this festival, students and villagers performed her plays. They used an open-air theatre that she built on her estate. Famous guests like Prithvi Raj Kapoor and Balraj Sahni often attended.

Other friends of Norah also settled near her Woodlands Estate. These included Professor Jai Dayal, the painter Sobha Singh, and Farida Bedi. Norah's plays often focused on social reform. They showed a lot of understanding for the local people's ways and traditions. She wrote the scripts, and many people helped her with the plays. She also wrote newspaper articles and painted pictures with watercolors.

Because of Norah, Andretta became a center for cultural and theatre activities. Many artists came there for a whole generation. One of them was a young artist named Bhabesh Chandra Sanyal. He was already known as a sculptor and painter. Later, he became a very important figure in Indian art. He wrote about Norah Richards in his life story.

Punjabi University in Patiala recognized Norah's important work for Punjabi drama. They gave her an honorary doctorate degree. The university's museum now keeps some of her rare belongings.

In her later years, Norah was worried about the future of Woodlands. She also worried about her large collection of books and writings. She thought about making a will many times but kept changing her mind.

She offered her estate to the government of Himachal Pradesh, even though she was unsure about government control. But she did not get a reply. In the end, she left most of her estate and valuable collections to Punjabi University, Patiala.

Norah Richards passed away on March 3, 1971. Her gravestone at Woodlands Retreat has these words: "Rest Weary Heart – Thy work is Done."