Almost 17 years ago I had met Shreela Flather, Baroness of Windsor and Maidenhead for an interview I was commissioned by my Editor CB Patel to publish in Asian Voice. As a young journalist, in my early 20s, it was daunting for me to speak to someone as awe-inspiring and powerful as Baroness Flather. Nervously, as I sat listening to the first Baroness of Indian (and Asian) origin speak to me about her experience as a woman, the glass ceilings she had faced (and broken), it eased me into understanding how for most of us women, our journeys weren’t actually that different.
In 2011, Baroness Flather hosted an event where Asian Voice launched its first ever British Tamils magazine in the House of Lords. Feisty and outspoken, Baroness Flather applauded the work of the community and the diaspora at large, but also addressed the hypocrisy in some, who complained about the British society and its values refusing to integrate, despite consciously choosing to work here, reaping the benefits and adopting this country as their home.
Everybody who knew Baroness Shreela Flather would remember her by the strength of character she possessed, her ability to call spade a spade, fight for what’s just and her efforts to move mountains to set up the Memorial Gates for the Commonwealth soldiers.
Despite the infrequencies of seeing her at community events over the years, there were occasional calls from the Baroness on our office landline to discuss issues she felt strongly about and letters from her to our Readers’ Voice section. I would still meet her once a year at the Memorial Gates, and would hesitantly go up and speak to her, as she would stand surrounded by guests, albeit very important ones. I would wonder if she remembered me and re-introduced myself, but every time she would say, “I know who you are” and quickly drift into highlighting an important issue, sometimes something as huge as world politics, that she felt strongly about – eventually asking me to think and write about it.
An inspiring life of many firsts
Baroness Flather was born in Lahore in 1934 to a distinguished family. She was the daughter of Aftab and Krishna Rai, one of the most prominent Hindu families in Lahore, and her great-grandfather, Sir Ganga Ram, was a famous engineer and philanthropist in early 20th century, affectionately known as the ‘Father of Lahore’.
After partition in 1947, the family fled Lahore, leaving behind the house, factories, and land, and started again in Delhi. Baroness Flather herself flew with her mother to the US to stay with her student brother.
When her father was appointed Indian ‘ambassador’ to Brazil in 1948, as a 14-year-old daughter, she accompanied him, building her self-confidence and gregariousness.
She first came to London in 1952 to study law at University College London and later became an honorary fellow of the college.
She started out her career as a teacher and community activist, but eventually became UK’s first-ever female local councillor from ethnic minority background, the first-ever Asian Mayor and the first-ever Asian woman to become a Baroness in the UK House of Lords. She died after a at the age of 89 (shortly before her 90th birthday) on Tuesday 6 February 2024 after a brief illness at Wexham Park Hospital in Slough, in the company of family, friends and her current carers. She is survived by her sons Paul who has been a journalist, politician, academic and former fellow of Corpus Christi and Mansfield Colleges, Oxford, and Marcus who is a former professor of medicine and clinical trials at the University of East Anglia, four grandchildren, Jasmine, Josh, Alex and Hannah, and six great grandchildren Stella, Jack, Joseph, Ariya, Theo and Eliott.
Stories still go around in the community about how Baroness Flather gained attention for wearing a saree to the House of Lords. As Mayor of the Royal Borough of Windsor, she got to know the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh and served on the Duke’s commission into housing. She took a girls’ school to court while Mayor for persisting with uniform rules that discriminated against Asian pupils.
Baroness Flather reportedly served on the Race Relations Board (1973-78), the Commission for Racial Equality and the Social Security Advisory Committee (1987-90). From 1987 to 1990, she was also a British representative on the Economic and Social Committee of the European Community and held senior posts in organisations involved in refugee, community, race relations, policing, and prison work.
But she rose to fame as a public figure, by creating the iconic Memorial Gates at London’s Hyde Park Corner- a tribute to the 5 million Commonwealth soldiers who participated in the two World Wars. She was the lifetime President of the Memorial Gates Council. A moving ceremony of remembrance is held at the Memorial Gates every year which is attended by Ambassadors/High Commissioners of various countries, MPs, Peers, former soldiers including Gurkhas and other distinguished guests.
It was designed by the architect Liam O’Connor with an Indian-style pagoda and has the names of soldiers who were awarded Victoria Cross inscribed inside. The final line of Ben Okri’s poem ‘Turn on your light’ is engraved on one of the pillars of Memorial Gates and say: “Our future is greater than our past….”
Family and friends pay tribute
Baroness Flather’s sons Paul and Marcus in a statement told Asian Voice, “Baroness Flather was a trailblazer, having been appointed as the first UK Asian Woman Justice of the Peace, perhaps local Councillor, Mayor, and Baroness. She worked tirelessly for women's and girls’ rights and served the South Asian community in the UK. She will be much missed for her sense of humour, plain speaking, and commitment to a range cause linked to race, immigration, and dignity of dying. She will be remembered especially for founding and setting up the Memorial Gates in central London dedicated to the memory of non-white soldiers from the Commonwealth who fought in the two great wars.”
Lord Karan Bilimoria, Chair of the Memorial Gates Council, expressed his sadness at the passing away of Baroness Flather, whom he knew for over 30 years. He told the newsweekly, “I have known Shreela Flather for 30 years and I will always be grateful to her as she was the person who brought me into Parliament for the first time when she started an initiative called Asian Link which brought in young Asians to events, she organised with cabinet ministers speaking, at the House of Lords. From that cohort, Shailesh Vara became an MP and Minister, Dinesh Dhamija became an MEP, and I joined the House of Lords 17 1/2 years ago.
“Shreela Flather broke one glass ceiling after another, becoming the first woman Mayor in the UK as Mayor of Windsor and the first Asian woman parliamentarian when she joined the House of Lords in 1990. She was the driving force behind the creation of the Memorial Gates, next to Buckingham Palace on Constitution Hill, which commemorate the service and sacrifice of the 5 million individuals who served in the First and Second World Wars from South Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, inaugurated by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2002. I have the privilege of being the current Chair of The Memorial Gates. She was a unique personality and a force of nature.
“Shreela was always proud of being Indian and Asian. She was an inspiration to me and to so many and paved the way for so many of us. She will be greatly missed by everyone who knew her. Her late husband Gary Flather QC was a leading and respected lawyer, and I had the privilege to serve with him as a Commissioner of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. He suffered from MS for many years and Shreela was always a loyal and devoted support to him. My thoughts are with their sons Paul and Marcus and all her family.”
Her colleague Baroness (Caroline) Cox reflected, “As I mourn the loss of a great friend, Shreela, two words immediately leap to mind: courage and humour.”
Baroness Helena Kennedy described her saying, “Shreela Flather was a force of nature and a great champion of women and girls. She had no hesitation in speaking firmly to male elders in minority communities about matters which inhibited others. She was feisty and challenging. I loved her and though we came from different political corners I loved her.”
