Norah Richards (29 October 1876 – 3 March 1971) was an Irish actress and theatre practitioner, who was later called the Lady Gregory of the Punjab.

She came to India in 1908 as her husband accepted a job to teach English literature at Dyal Singh College in Lahore.

(Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, founder of the college, was an ardent follower of Brahmo Samaj, which had a synergic relationship with the Unitarian Christian movement.)

She had an interest in theosophy and was actively involved in the theosophical movement and home-rule agitation by Dr Annie Besant.

[3] Her 15 acres (6.1 ha) of estate covered by tall trees and wild flowers professed her love for nature.

Every year, in the month of March, Richards organised a week-long festival in which students and villagers enacted her plays in an open-air theatre constructed on her estate.

Amongst her other friends who later settled near Woodland Estate were Prof Jai Dayal, painter Sobha Singh and Farida Bedi.

[4] Usually, she would greet me with a khurpa in her hand in home-spun khadi kurta and churidar, her white curls covered with a veil on top of which she donned a straw hat.

At the end of the day all her servants would retire to their homes leaving her completely alone to pursue her literary work, letter writing and reading.

Sanyal continues, “‘Mem’ she was at the core of her heart and remained critical of the villagers fouling the fields and not following her example of digging pits for leafclosets and do her own scavenging and sanitation work.

"[This quote needs a citation] Though sceptic about governmental control and administration, she offered the estate to the government of Himachal Pradesh, but received no response.