On the topic of Eric Blair’s birth in India, these two articles in Wikipedia seem to have a different story about the extent to which he’s memorialized in the town of his birth;

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Orwell

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motihari

Question?
What “strain of socialism” are you referring to?
Im sure I probably have this wrong, but I thought socialism on its own isn’t really a “thing”. It’s almost always linked to another form of governing. Fascism, communism, etc.
It also seems to be, historically speaking, simply a device to stir a sentiment of solidarity and hope (reasonably as these are massively popular with the populace) to garner compliance.
What I’ve read of Orwell, he seems to depict the perversion of the idea of an egalitarian society. The precarious balance of a government that protects it citizens and of one that has over reached, to the utter destruction of individualism for the sole purpose of complete power.
durno? I’m a yankee

“It’s almost always linked to another form of governing. Fascism, communism, etc.”
I’d add “democracy” to that list. The British Labour Party was a socialist party until the 1990s, of course it was committed to democracy. Same with social democrats in Germany, Sweden, a ton of other western democracies.
“What I’ve read of Orwell, he seems to depict the perversion of the idea of an egalitarian society.”
In his books 1984 and Animal Farm, yes. Of course, these were only a small part of his total oeuvre. He saw the Second World War as a dangerous government overreach in Britain, with widespread surveillance, propaganda and suppression of freedom of the press. (Of course, he was part of this himself, with his propaganda work for the BBC.) He also wrote during the twenties and thirties when he had other priorities..

Talking about the BBC, I’ve meant to read the history by the great Asa Briggs. Three volumes, maybe. It never quite gets to the top of the to do list, and at this point, it may never happen.

I guess I misremembered. It’s the History of Broadcasting in the UK, and it’s at least four volumes..