The Story of a Forgotten Orientalist of Bengal: Annette Susannah “Akroyd” Beveridge (1842-1929)
The contribution of Annette Akroyd to women’s educational reforms in Bengal is largely forgotten. She was born December 13, 1842, in Stourbridge, England to William and Saran Akroyd. Anette was a noted British Orientalist and a Victorian reformer. She was conservative and opposed to the Women’s Suffrage Movement ( the right of women to vote in elections by law). To this end, she served as the secretary of the anti-women’s suffrage league in England. Educated in Bedford College, Annette was very well-prepared to teach with her pragmatic no-nonsense outlook. Annette Akroyd with the students of Hindu Mahila Vidyalaya, 1875. From Henry Beveridge’s India Called Them: 1947 Annette traveled to Calcutta, India in 1872 upon invitation from Keshub Chandra Sen, a notable leader of the Brahmo Samaj, a Hindu reformist sect . Sen wanted Annette to promote non-sectarian education to Hindu women. Within a year, she founded the “Hindu Mahila Vidyalaya”, located near Beniapukur Lane, Kolkata. The s