Alexander Kinloch Forbes

Alexander Kinloch Forbes (7 July 1821 – 31 August 1865) was a colonial administrator in British India. Forbes was born in London on 7 July 1821 to John Forbes-Mitchell (1786-1822) of Thainston and Ann Powell (m. 1809 d. 1861). He was the youngest among six siblings. He was christened on 9 August 1821 at St. Mary, St. Marylebone, London. He was educated at a school in Finchley. He articled to George Basevi, an architect, for eight months but later joined a college Haileybury as he was appointed to Bombay Civil Service by Sir Charles Forbes in 1840. He left it in 1842 and arrived in Bombay, India in November 1843. Forbes was appointed in 1842 to the Civil Service of the East India Company, later moved to Bombay in 1843. He spent his initial two and half years as Assistant Collector of Ahmednagar and Khandesh. Later he was appointed as Assistant Judge in Ahmedabad in November 1846 where he noted the absence of literary society. He served in different departments in Gujarat such as First Assistant Collector of Ahmedabad and Political Agent to Mahi Kantha until he went home in March 1854. During this period he collected material which was later published as Ras Mala in 1856.