Annie Besant On Right Citizenship

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DR ANNIE BESANT dedicated over sixty years of her life to public service, twenty in England and the last forty in India, which she proclaimed to be her motherland. She was a living example of right citizenship, and her message is as vital today as it was in her lifetime.

To commemorate the centenary of Dr Besant's arrival in India on 16 November 1893, the Theosophical Publishing House is bringing out a series of booklets on topics of continuing relevance containing Dr Besant's views and statements. The first of these came out in 1993, titled The Brotherhood of Religions.

This booklet stresses the qualities which will help young people to contribute to society. It was inspired by the life of Dr Annie Besant who was an example of the perfect citizen. It is composed of selections from her talks and writings introduced by brief biographical notes. It is hoped that they will be as inspiring to readers as they were to the compiler.

ANNIE BESANT (1847-1933), second President of the Theosophical Society (1907-1933), was described as a 'Diamond Soul' for she had many brilliant facets to her character. She was one of the outstanding orators of her time, a champion of human freedom, educationist, philanthropist, and author. She has more than three hundred books and pamphlets to her credit, and guided thousands of men and women all over the world in their spiritual quest.

In her earlier days in England, she did remar- kable work as a Freethinker and Fabian socialist, and supported many noble causes, including women's suffrage. From 1893, she lived in India and worked indefatigably for the cultural and spiritual renais- sance of the country. She organized the Home Rule movement and inspired Indians with a dynamic vision of India's future.