swaraah

Savitribai Phule

Today is the birth anniversary of India’s first female teacher and social worker Savitribai Phule. She is known for her social reformer and work for women. She raised his voice against the oppressive social system prevalent in the society of Pune (Maharashtra) in the 19th century. Her contribution revolved around rationality and human causes such as truth, equality and humanity.

She was born on January 03, 1831 in Maharashtra (Naigaon – Satara). She was the youngest in her family. She had three siblings. She belonged to the Mali community, which today comes under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. Savitribai Phule got married when she was only nine years old, she could not read and write. Her husband Jyotirao Phule took the responsibility of educating her at home. After which she worked to fight inequality, patriarchy and social oppression prevailing in Maharashtra, especially Pune.

Savitribai Phule Married at a young age

Savitribai Phule was married to Jyotirao Phule in 1940 at the age of nine. After marriage, she moved from Naigaon to Pune with Jyotirao. Savitribai Phule was very fond of reading. Seeing this, her husband taught her to read and write. After this, he also took training to become a teacher in Ahmednagar and Pune. She became a qualified teacher by passing the fourth examination in 1847.

Savitribai Phule opened the first school for women

Savitribai Phule fought for the education of women along with social reformer Jyotirao Phule. The Phule couple opened the country’s first school for women in 1848 at Bhide Wada in the Pune district of Maharashtra. Apart from this, Savitribai Phule also fought a long battle against discrimination on the basis of caste and gender.

After this, She also established a shelter for destitute women in 1864. Savitribai Phule also played an important role in the development of Jyotirao Phule’s religious reformer organization Satyashodhak Samaj, which struggled for equality of all classes. Savitribai Phule is also considered the mother of the women’s movement in India.

Work and education and empowerment of women

Jyotirao and Savitribai founded the first school for girls in Pune (then Poona) in 1848 when the latter was still a teenager. Despite being ostracized by family and community members for this remarkable event, the couple was welcomed by their friend Usman Sheikh and his sister Fatima Sheikh, who allowed the Phule couple into their home to they started the school. Savitribai became the first teacher of the school. Jyotirao and Savitribai opened schools for children from the Mang and Mahar castes, who were considered untouchables.

Three Phule schools were functioning in 1852. On November 16 of that year, the British government honored the Phule family for their contribution to the field of education, calling Savitribai the best teacher. That year, she also started Mahila Seva Mandal with the aim of making women aware of their rights, dignity and other social issues. He successfully organized barbers’ jobs in Mumbai and Pune to counter the popular practice of cutting widows’ heads.

The three schools managed by the Phules were closed in 1858. There were many reasons for this, including the collapse of their own European donations after the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Jyotirao resigned from the school’s management committee in ‘due to various misunderstandings in the program. , and minus government support. Unexpectedly, Jyotirao and Savitribai, along with Fatima Sheikh, also receive the training of people from the oppressed areas. Over the years, Savitribai opened 18 schools and taught children of various backgrounds.

Savitribai and Fatima Sheikh started teaching women and other people from oppressed castes. This was not well received by many, especially the Pune elite, who were against Dalit education. Savitribai and Fatima Sheikh were threatened and insulted and humiliated by the villagers. Cow dung, mud and stones were thrown at Savitribai while she was going to school. However, such atrocities could not stop Savitribai determined in her goal to wear two shirts. Savitribai and Fatima Sheikh later joined Saguna Bai who also became a leader in the education movement. Meanwhile, the Phule couple also opened an evening school in 1855 for farmers and workers so that they could work during the day and go to school in the evening.

To control the number of school dropouts, Savitribai started giving money to children to go to school. She remains an inspiration to the girls she has taught. He encouraged them to take up activities such as writing and painting. One of the essays written by Savitribai’s student Mukta Salve became the face of Dalit Feminism in literature during this period. He organized regular parent-teacher meetings to make parents aware of the importance of education as they send their children to school regularly.

In 1863, Jyotirao and Savitribai also opened a care center called “Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha”, perhaps the first institution for the prohibition of infanticide established in India. It was established so that pregnant Brahmin widows and rape victims could deliver their children in a safe and secure place, thus preventing widow killing and reducing the number of infanticide. In 1874, Jyotirao and Savitribai, who had no issue, adopted a child from a Brahmin widow named Kashibai, thus sending a strong message to the progressives. and society. The adopted son, Yashavantrao, grew up to be a doctor.

While Jyotirao advocated polygamy, Savitribai was active against social problems like child marriage and sati pratha, two of the social problems that are slowly disappearing. slowly reducing the existence of women. He also tried to bring children of widows into the ranks by educating them and empowering them and encouraging them to remarry. These activities also received strong resistance from the conservative public.