Annie Besant

Miscellaneous

Born: 1^st October 1847, Ireland.
She was strong advocate for Irish independence.
She publicly questioned her religious beliefs and criticized the Church of England.
As a feminist and political activist, she promoted intellectual freedom, secularism, women’s rights, birth control, workers’ rights, and Fabian socialism while opposing church interference in personal lives.
After meeting Helena Blavatsky in 1889, she became a Theosophist and developed an interest in Hinduism and its spiritual concepts.
Serving as President of the Theosophical Society from 1907 to 1933, she was inspired by the Indian independence movement and actively participated in the struggle against British rule.
Contribution
- In Educational Reforms
  - Established the Central Hindu School in Varanasi in 1898 to promote education.
  - In 1916, she became president of Banaras Hindu University, thanks to the efforts of Madan Mohan Malaviya.
  - She was also a co-founder of the Women’s Indian Association in 1917 which led to the establishment of the All-India Women’s Conference in Pune in 1927 and the Women’s Indian Association at Adyar.