ANNIE BESANT [1847
–1933] Have you ever
heard about a person following a unique principle described in the Hindu shastras –
Vasudhaiv Kutumbkam, meaning ‘Whole world is my family.’ It was none other than
the British born Theosophist and nationalist leader in India – Dr. Annie Besant. She
was a prominent, revolutionary free-thinker of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She
wrote a number of works on Atheism, Feminism, Freedom, Hinduism, Socialism and Theosophy.
An excellent orator and an author with a poetic temperament, Dr. Besant was a versatile
tornado of power and passion. She was one of the few foreigners who inspired the love
for the nation among Indians.
She collected many
nicknames from all over the world. She was called Dr. Besant, even though she never
studied medicine nor did she do her Ph.D. She was called Annie Militant, even
though she argued for passive resistance. She was called Mother because of her love
and compassion for the downtrodden.
It [female sex] is the
nobler of the two, for it is even today the embodiment of sacrifice, silent suffering,
humility, faith and knowledge. A woman’s intuition has often proved truer than
man’s arrogant assumption of superior knowledge. The words of Mahatma Gandhi
paying grand tribute to the women of India, appropriately applies to this British born Indian
lady – Dr. Annie Besant.
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