FLORA ANNIE STEEL (1847-1929), an English short story writer, was noted for writing books set in British India or otherwise connected to it. In 1867, she married Henry William Steel who was a member of the Indian Civil Service, and for the next two decades she lived in India mainly in the Punjab, with which most of her books are connected.
During her stay in India, Flora Annie grew deeply interested in native Indian life and began to urge educational reforms on the government of India. She became an Inspectress of Government and Aided Schools in the Punjab. She also worked with John Lockwood Kipling, father of Rudyard Kipling (famous writer of Kim and Just So Stories), to foster Indian arts and crafts.
Flora Annie Steel developed an interest in relating to all classes of Indian society. After the birth of her daughter, she interacted with local women and learnt their language. She encouraged the production of local handicrafts. She also collected a number of folk-tales, a collection of which she published in 1894.
It was due to Flora Annie’s interest in schools and the education of women that she gained a special insight into life and character of local people. A year before leaving India, she co-authored and published The Complete Indian Housekeeper, which gave detailed directions to European women on all aspects of household management in India.
In 1889 the family moved back to Scotland, and she continued her writing there. Some of her best work is contained in two collections of short stories. Her English Fairy Tales illustrated by Arthur Rackham became immensely popular.