Google celebrates Annie Besant's 168th birth anniversary with a doodle

New Delhi: Internet search giant Google is celebrating the 168th birth anniversary of Annie Besant with a special animated doodle on Thursday.

The doodle that appears on the homepage of Google features a cute Besant sitting in her chair with a copy of 'New India' in her hands.

Born on October 1, 1847, Besant was a prominent British socialist, theosophist, women's rights activist, writer and orator and supporter of Irish and Indian self-rule.

As part of her theosophy-related work, she travelled to India. In 1898 she helped establish the Central Hindu College. And in 1922, she helped establish the Hyderabad (Sind) National Collegiate Board in Mumbai.

In 1907 she became president of the Theosophical Society, whose international headquarters were in Adyar, Madras, (Chennai).

She became involved in Indian politics by joining the Indian National Congress. During the World

War I in 1914, she also 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.