Bhicoo Batlivala

Bhicoo Batlivala (13 October 1910 – 10 October 1983), also known as Mrs. Guy Mansell or Bee Mansell, was an Indian-born British barrister and campaigner for India's independence.

Batlivala first appeared in the 1930s as a popular socialite and photographs of her appeared in several magazines including Tatler and The Sketch. In 1935, after she had practised as a barrister at the Inner Temple, the Maharaja of Baroda in Gujarat appointed her as the first female to work for its State service, in which she became an advocate for the education of women. For a short while, she was personal secretary to Jawaharlal Nehru during his European tour of 1938. She would later campaign for the release from prison of both Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi, and at one time led a delegation of Indian women into the House of Commons to speak to women MPs there. Her earlier tour of the United States, to talk about India, gave British government intelligence significant concern.

In 1962, after settling in Cobham with her family, she founded Cobham Hall School.

Early life and education Bhicoo Batlivala was born in Bombay (now Mumbai), to Sorabji Batlivala, a successful Parsi wool mill owner who later managed Empress Mills in Nagpur. Her date of birth is recorded as 13 October 1910 in the 1939 England and Wales Register. She had a sister, Siloo, and a brother, Homi. As a child, she was sent to study in England. She passed her exams in constitutional law and history in 1930 with a first class mark. In 1932, at the age of 21, she was called to the Bar. There, she assisted the education minister in matters relating to the education of women. she made another trip to India, this time to study the Congress movement, in preparation for a future lecture tour of the United States. She would later campaign for his release from prison during the Second World War.

United States tour 1939–40 British government intelligence became concerned after noting that she regularly attended meetings of the India League and had planned a US tour. She departed Southampton for New York on 19 December 1939 on the Holland America Line's SS Volendam. While in the US, her views on British rule were criticised by the prominent opponent of Indian independence Katherine Mayo. In 1940, Batlivala completed the six-month lecture tour. and Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, who was lecturing on India at the same time. One of the schools she visited was Waterville High School, Waterville, Maine. It was reported in one newspaper that "no other speaker who has appeared at the Washington Athletic Club has carried the enchantment, the fascination, the brilliance and stimulation that 28-year-old Bhicco Batlivala does". In an article for International Woman Suffrage News in 1941, she questioned Britain's use of India's resources to fight Nazi threat, while simultaneously denying freedom for India. According to intelligence reports on India League's V. K. Krishna Menon, when he was unable to attend the 1941 annual dinner of the Manchester Indian Association, he sent Batlivala in his place as he felt she would be better able to offend the Lord Mayor of Manchester when responding to his speech. It was noted in November 1941, that the India League had very few Indian members, of which Batlivala had considerable influence on its policies. In response, Wells protested to Leo Amery. There they met women MPs Eleanor Rathbone, Cazalet-Keir, Reginald Sorensen and Mavis Tate.

Socialite Batlivala first appeared in the 1930s as a popular socialite. The Belfast Newsletter, dated 27 May 1932, described her as "dainty and slender, a peculiarly attractive feature being her pretty red-brown hair, which is bobbed and dressed in soft curls in her neck". It reported that she participated in tennis and polo tournaments (in 1933, she was photographed on a horse during a polo match at Wilmer House, Ham Common, London); it was even reported she had swapped horse riding for flying as she was frequently seen at Heston Aerodrome in west London. She appeared several times in The Sketch including; dressed as Pola Negri from Passion in 1933, at the Derby Ball in the summer of 1934, and attending a polo match with the Princess of Berar in the summer of 1937. The Civil and Military Gazette featured her with the Princess of Nepal, when they helped sell tickets to Sāvitri, performed at the Playhouse Theatre for the purpose of raising funds for the Twelfth Congress for the International Alliance of Women for Suffrage and Equal Citizenship in Istanbul that was held in April 1935. Later in the summer of 1935 she appeared in Tatler photographed with Major General Nawab Khusru Jung, and was described as "a charming visitor from Bombay". In 1964, she would be mentioned in the New York Times when despite rain and muddy grounds at Ascot, "she swept through the storm in a gold-and-white sari, her hemline dragging through the mud".

Personal and family She married Guy Robinson Mansell of Upton, Buckinghamshire, They settled in Cobham, Surrey, and had a son, Guy, and a daughter, Edwina.

Death Batlivala died on 10 October 1983 in a nursing home at Burgess Hill, West Sussex. A memorial plaque was put up at Cobham Hall School following her death.

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