Annie Besant
(October 1, 1847 – September 20, 1933)

Annie Besant was a prominent British socialist, theosophist, women’s rights activist, writer and orator. She was also supporter of Irish and Indian self-rule.

In 1890 Besant met Helena Blavatsky and over the next few years her interest in theosophy grew while her interest in secular matters waned. She became a member of the Theosophical Society and a prominent lecturer on the subject. She came to India on 16 November 1893 to attend the Annual Convention of the Theosophical Society. In 1907 she became president of the Theosophical Society, whose international headquarters were in Adyar, Chennai.

She also became involved in politics in India, joining the Indian National Congress. When World War I broke out in 1914, she helped launch the Home Rule League to campaign for democracy in India and dominion status within the Empire. This led to her election as president of the India National Congress in late 1917. After the war, she continued to campaign for Indian independence and for the causes of theosophy, until her death in 1933. Her self-desired epitaph bears the simple yet profound words, “She tried to follow Truth.”

– Adapted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia