“Inge Sargent (born Inge Eberhard; 23 February 1932 – 5 February 2023), also known as Sao Nang Thu Sandi (Burmese: စဝ်သုစန္ဒီ), was an Austrian and American author and human-rights activist who was the last Mahadevi of Hsipaw, reigning from 1957 until 1959.
Eberhard was born on 23 February 1932, in Bad Sankt Leonhard im Lavanttal, Austria. Her father was a forest ranger. When she was six years old, the Nazis annexed her homeland, and her mother was arrested by them on three occasions. Following World War II, Eberhard decided to study in the United States. In 1951, she received one of the first Austrian Fulbright Scholarships and enrolled at Colorado Women’s College.
At a party for international students, Eberhard met Sao Kya Seng, an engineering student from Burma who attended the Colorado School of Mines. The couple married on 7 March 1953 at the home of a friend in Colorado. Following his graduation, the couple moved to Burma. Hundreds of people had gathered at the port of Rangoon to welcome the couple as they arrived on the SS Warwickshire. It was then that her husband revealed that he was the prince of Hsipaw, a princely state in Burma and close to the border with China, which he had previously concealed from her. On November 2, 1957, at the Hsipaw Palace, the couple was officially installed as Saohpalong (Great Lord of the Sky) and Mahadevi (Celestial Princess) of Hsipaw.
Aage Krarup Nielsen, a Danish writer who explored Hsipaw in the late 1950s, expressed in his book “The Land of the Golden Pagodas” that, “It was at first somewhat of a shock for many local people to get a young European lady as their princess but before long, their reserve melted and their Mahadevi today is admired by the entire people of Hsipaw, who regard her as one of their own.” She learned to speak Shan and Burmese, and worked to improve life in Hsipaw. She became involved in charitable projects such as establishing birthing clinics (called “Hsipaw Maternity and Child Welfare Society”), teaching villagers better nutrition, and starting a trilingual school. She was also selected to be the president of the Mother and Child Association and her work reduced the infant mortality rate. After nine years as rulers of Hsipaw, the couple had two daughters, Sao Mayari and Sao Kennari. The couple’s altruistic efforts quickly made them two of Southeast Asia’s best-loved rulers.“
