Annie besant biography in english

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The jury delivered a confusing verdict because they wanted to condemn the book but exonerate the defendants. This led to a wave of protests from different Indian groups. The Central Hindu College founded by Besant in Benares became the nucleus for the Benares Hindu University, which awarded her an honorary doctorate. However, due to Besant’s public speaking and publishing, the membership of the Theosophical Society grew from 14,700 in 1907 to its peak membership in 1928 of over 45,000 (Wessinger 1991:103).

In 1908 Besant and Leadbeater began lecturing on the imminent return of the Christ or the World-Teacher, jagadguru.

The public sympathy and success of the strike was an important development in the unskilled trades union movement.

During this time, Annie Besant became attracted to the philosophy of Marxism. Under Besant’s leadership, the 1917 Congress passed a resolution that the social disabilities of untouchables should be abolished (Wessinger 1990:53).

For complex reasons, Besant’s political popularity declined in India shortly after her presidency of the Indian National Congress.

However, until the end of his life in 1986, Krishnamurti returned to the area in conjunction with the December conventions of the Theosophical Society, and numerous Theosophists attended his talks. The strike eventually led to their bosses significantly improving their working situation.

Social and political reform seems not to have satisfied Besant's hunger for some all-embracing truth to replace the religion of her youth.

George Arundale was elected the third president of the Theosophical society, and he said that Krishnamurti should not return to the Theosophical Society’s Adyar estate. Eminent members of the Theosophical Society such as Upendranath BASU, Bertram KEIGHTLEY, and G. R. S. MEAD disputed that the Masters MORYA and KOOT HOOMI had appeared to Olcott on his deathbed to designate Besant his successor.

For a time Besant and Judge were joint Outer Heads of the Esoteric Section, but due to the controversy over the suspect MAHĀTMA letters Besant pressured Judge to resign. Her millennial hope for a New Civilization brought about by the imminent appearance of a messiah has influenced the contemporary New Age movement, particularly through the writings of Alice BAILEY; this influence is seen most clearly in the contemporary predictions of Benjamin Creme about the imminent appearance of the Lord Maitreya (Wessinger 1988:323-48; Wessinger 1989:60-69).

His companions were understood to report that they sensed the presence of the Lord Maitreya. 563-80.

_____. Toward the end of her atheistic period, Besant became a socialist, who was convinced that by legal and political change, socialism would achieve the amelioration of human misery caused by industrialization and the enclosures of Common Lands.

51-60.

_____. Democracy vs. She was attracted to Bradlaugh’s National Secular Society because it was committed to social reform to ameliorate conditions for the lower classes. The theosophical belief in a unifying One Existence provided a philosophical justification for universal brotherhood to which Besant always had been committed.