Jiddu Krishnamurti
 

Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895–1986) was an influential speaker and writer on philosophical and spiritual subjects, renowned for his discourse on the nature of mind, meditation, human relationships, and bringing about radical change in society. He was born in India and, as a teenager, was discovered by Annie Besant, president of the Theosophical Society, who proclaimed him the likely "World Teacher" of a new global religious order. 

Krishnamurti was educated by the Theosophists in England and India in preparation for his prophesied role and was cared for by Lady Emily Lutyens. However, in 1929, he dissolved the Theosophical order built around him, rejecting all organized belief systems, teachers, and religious authorities. He famously declared, “Truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect.” 

For the next half-century, he travelled globally, speaking to large audiences and engaging in dialogues with scientists, religious figures, and the general public. He consistently emphasized the necessity of a psychological revolution in the individual, advocating for self-inquiry and direct experience over dogma and gurus. 

Time magazine has called him one of the five saints of the 20th century—an accolade he would have rejected. 

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Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens (1869–1944) was a preeminent English architect celebrated for his extraordinary versatility and original blend of traditional styles with modern requirements. Beginning his career in the English Arts and Crafts movement, he gained fame for his iconic country houses and gardens, often in collaboration with landscape designer Gertrude Jekyll. 

Lutyens' work spanned a vast range, from domestic buildings and commercial structures to over fifty war memorials, including the notable Cenotaph in London, Castle Drogo and the majestic Memorial to the Missing of the Somme at Thiepval, France. His crowning achievement was the large-scale planning of New Delhi, India, where he designed the capital city's layout and the magnificent Viceroy's House, now known as the Rashtrapati Bhavan (President's House). This monumental work blended classical European architecture with Indian motifs, leading to the area being dubbed "Lutyens' Delhi". Knighted in 1918, Lutyens is regarded as one of Britain's most influential architects. 

Lutyens was famously beloved. As one contemporary wrote, “Never since the days of Sheridan and Goldsmith has a man of genius been so widely beloved… Lutyens possessed the faculty of making everybody feel much younger.” This energy—the “bubbling friendliness” he extended to queens and cigarette girls alike.

Lutyens and his wife corresponded daily when he was abroad. Their letters are rich in wit, affection, and irony, a tone the novel carefully preserves. Their dialogue sparkles with humour and warmth, and yet beneath the laughter lies the poignant complexity of two people balancing creative lives with spiritual quests, public roles, and private sacrifices.

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