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Savitribai Phule

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Savitribai Phule
alt=statue of Savitribai Phule. The bust is in black. The pedestal it is on is made out of wood. The name plate on pedestal says "Kranjyoti Savitribai Phule" which roughly translates to "Revolutionary light Savitribai Phule" in Hindi. She is depicted to be wearing a saree.
Bust of Savitribai Phule.
Born(1831-01-03)3 January 1831
Naigaon, Bombay Presidency, Company India
Died10 March 1897(1897-03-10) (aged 66)
Poona, Bombay Presidency, British India
Alma mater
  • Normal School, Poona[1]
  • Teachers Training Program, Ahmednagar
Occupations
  • educator
  • activist
  • social reformer
  • poet
Era1831- 1897[2]
OrganizationSatya Shodhak Samaj
Known for• Girls' education
• Women's rights
Notable work• Kavya Phule (1854)
• Bavan Kashi Subhodh Ratnakar (1892)[3]
SpouseJyotirao Phule

Savitribai Phule (pronunciationⓘ; 3 January 1831 – 10 March 1897) was an Indian educator, social reformer, and poet, widely regarded as the first female teacher of modern India.[4] Along with her husband, Jyotiba Phule, she played a pivotal role in advancing women's rights and education in Maharashtra, leaving a legacy that continues to influence social reform movements across India. She is also considered a pioneer of India's feminist movement. She worked to abolish discrimination and the unfair treatment of people based on caste and gender. Savitribai Phule and her husband were trailblazers in women's education in India.[5][6][7] In 1848, they established their first school for girls at the residence of Tatyasaheb Bhide, known as Bhide Wada in Pune.[8][9]

Early life

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Savitribai Phule was born on 3 January 1831, in the village of Naigaon in Satara District, Maharashtra. Her birthplace is about 15 km (9.3 mi) from Shirval, and 50 km (31 mi) from Pune.[10] She was the youngest daughter of four children born to Laxshmi and Patil, both of whom belonged to the Mali Community.[11][12] Savitribai married her husband, Jyotirao Phule, at the age of 9 or 10, when he was 13 years old.[13][14][15]

Education

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Savitribai was illiterate at the time of her marriage. Her husband educated her, as well as his cousin sister, Sagunabai Shirsagar, at their home while working on their farm.[11][16] Once she completed her primary education with Jyothirao, she continued her studies under the guidance of her friends, Sakharam Yeshwant Paranjpe and Keshav Shivram Bhavalkar.[17][18] In 1846–47, she passed the third and fourth-year examinations in an English school, and in the same year, she helped Sagunabai establish a school for marginalized communities in Maharwada.[19] She enrolled herself in two teachers' training programs; the first was at an institution run by an American missionary, Cynthia Farrar, in Ahmednagar, and the second course was at a Normal School in Pune.[10][11][16] Savitribai was become India's first trained female teacher and headmistress.[10]

Career

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After completing her teacher's education, Savitribai Phule started teaching girls at Pune. She did so alongside Sagunabai Kshirsagar, sister of Jyotiba Phule[2] who was a revolutionary feminist and a mentor to Jyotirao.[20] In January 1848, Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule, along with Sagunabai, started their own school at Bhidewada and it became India's first girls' school.[21] Bhidewada was the home of Tatya Saheb Bhide, who was inspired by the work that the trio was doing.[22] According to some sources, the school initially had 9 girls and later number increased to 25 students. The curriculum at Bhidewada included a traditional Western curriculum of mathematics, science, and social studies.[23] Due to social opposition and ostracisation from orthodox community, the Phules relocated to the residence of their associate Usman Shaikh. There, Savitribai Phule and Fatima Sheikh –Usman’s sister, continued their efforts to educate girls in the local neighbourhood.[24]

By the end of 1851, Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule were running three different schools for girls in Pune. Combined, the three schools had approximately one hundred and fifty students enrolled. Like the curriculum, the teaching methods employed by the three schools differed from those used in government schools. The author Divya Kandukuri believes that the Phule methods were regarded as being superior to those used by government schools. As a result of this reputation, the number of girls receiving their education at the Phules' schools outnumbered the number of boys enrolled in government schools.[11]

Unfortunately, Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule's success came with much resistance from the local community with conservative views. Kandukuri states that Savitribai often travelled to her school carrying an extra sari because she would be assailed by her conservative opponents with stones, dung, and verbal abuse. Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule were living at Jyotirao's father's home. However, in 1849, Jyotirao's father asked the couple to leave his home because their work was considered a sin as per the Manusmriti and its derived Brahmanical texts.[11]

After moving out of Jyotirao's father's home, the Phules moved in with the family of one of Jyotirao's friends, Usman Sheikh. It was there that Savitribai met a soon-to-be close friend and colleague named Fatima Begum Sheikh. According to Nasreen Sayyed, a leading scholar on Sheikh, "Fatima Sheikh knew how to read and write already, so her brother Usman who was a friend of Jyotiba, had encouraged Fatima to take up the teacher training course. She went along with Savitribai to the Normal School and they both graduated together. She was the first Muslim woman teacher of India". Fatima and Savitribai opened a school in Sheikh's home in 1849.[11]

In the 1850s, Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule were instrumental in establishing two educational trusts. They were entitled to the Native Male School, Pune, and the Society for Promoting the Education of Mahar, Mangs, etc. These two trusts ended up encompassing many schools which were led by Savitribai Phule and later, Fatima Sheikh.[11]

Jyotirao summarizes Savitribai and his work in an interview given to the Christian missionary periodical, Dnyanodaya, on 15 September 1853, saying,

It did occur to me that the improvement that comes about in a child due to the mother is very important and good. So those who are concerned with the happiness and welfare of this country should definitely pay attention to the condition of women and make every effort to impart knowledge to them if they want the country to progress. With this thought, I started the school for girls first. But my caste brethren did not like that I was educating girls and my own father threw us out of the house. Nobody was ready to give space for the school nor did we have money to build it. People were not willing to send their children to school but Lahuji Ragh Raut Mang and Ranba Mahar convinced their caste brethren about the benefits of getting educated.[10]

A statue of Jyotirao Phule teaching Savitribai Phule, at Pune.
A statue of Jyotirao Phule teaching Savitribai Phule, at Pune.

Together with her husband, she taught children from different castes and opened a total of 18 schools.[25]In 1852, there were three Phule schools in operation with 273 girls pursuing education in these schools, but by 1858 they had all been closed. Eleanor Zelliot blames the closure on private European donations drying up due to the Rebellion of 1857, withdrawal of government support, and Jyotirao resigning from the school management committee because of disagreement regarding the curriculum.[26] In 1863, the Phule couple with their longtime friend Sadashiv Ballal Govande started an infanticide prevention centre called Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha[5] mainly for pregnant widows. Pamphlets were stuck around Pune advertising the centre in the following words: "Widows, come here and deliver your baby safely and secretly. It is up to your discretion whether you want to keep the baby in the centre or take it with you. This orphanage will take care of the children [left behind]." The Phule couple ran the infanticide prevention centre until the mid-1880s.[27] [28]

Personal life

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Savitribai and Jyotirao had no children of their own.[13][14] It is said that they adopted Yashawantrao, who was the son of a Brahmin widow. However, there is no primary evidence currently available to support this.[5] It is said that when Yashwant was ready for marriage, it was difficult to find a suitable partner because he was born to a widow. Hence, Savitribai is believed to have arranged his marriage to the daughter of Dynoba Sasane, a worker in her organization, in February 1889.[15]

Death

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Savitribai and her adopted son Yashwant, opened a clinic to treat those affected by the worldwide Third Pandemic of the bubonic plague when it appeared in the area around Nalasopara in 1897.[29] The clinic was established on the southern outskirts of Pune, in an area free of infection. Savitribai died a heroic death trying to save the son of Pandurang Babaji Gaekwad. Upon learning that Babaji Gaekwad's son had contracted the plague in the Mahar settlement outside of Mundhwa, Savitribai Phule rushed to his side and carried him on her back to the hospital. In the process, Savitribai Phule caught the plague and died at 9:00 pm on 10 March 1897.[10]

Poetry and other work

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Savitribai Phule was also an author and poet. She published Kavya Phule in 1854 and Bavan Kashi Subodh Ratnakar in 1892, and also a poem entitled "Go, Get Education" in which she encouraged those who are oppressed to free themselves by obtaining an education.[30][citation needed] As a result of her experience and work, she became an ardent feminist. She established the Mahila Seva Mandal to raise awareness for issues concerning women's rights. Savitribai also called for a gathering place for women that was free of caste discrimination or differentiation of any kind.[citation needed] Symbolic of this was that all the women that attended were to sit on the same mat. She was also an anti-infanticide activist. She opened a women's shelter called the Home for the Prevention of Infanticide, where Brahmin widows could safely deliver their children and leave them there to be adopted if they so desired. She also campaigned against child marriage and was an advocate of widow remarriage.[11][31]

In a letter to her husband Jyotirao, Savitribai told the story about a boy about to be lynched by his fellow villagers for having relations with a woman of lower caste when Savitribai intervened. She wrote, "I came to know about their murderous plan. I rushed to the spot and scared them away, pointing out the grave consequences of killing the lovers under British law. They changed their mind after listening to me".[11]

Views

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Acknowledging her contributions in the field of education, Savitribai Phule is increasingly being recognised as the "Mother of Modern Education in India". Despite often being viewed through the lens of her association with Jyotirao Phule, scholars have noted that she developed an independent perspective shaped by her lived experiences as a lower-caste woman.[32] According to political scientist Bidyut Chakrabarty, she envisioned an India free from gender and caste oppression, and considered "education" a most powerful tool to awaken self-respect among the oppressed and challenge Brahmanical dominance.[33] Her 1854 poetry collection "Kavya Phule" reflects her thoughts on social emancipation, particularly concerning the upliftment of Shudras and women. Chakrabarty argued that Savitribai Phule was the sole female reformer of 19th-century India to explore the interplay of patriarchy with caste.[34] Biographer Dhananjay Keer, in his work on Jotirao Phule, expressed regret over the inadequate recognition given to Savitribai’s contributions. He highlighted her decision to leave the security of her in-laws' home, endure hardships alongside Jotirao, and become the first native female teacher in India. Keer remarked, "There is hardly any parallel example in the nineteenth century that can be compared to Savitribai's noble life devoted to the cause of the uplift of the Indian woman."[35]

Savitribai Phule, in addition to her pioneering role as a teacher and champion of girls' education, also founded the "Mahila Seva Mandal"[36] and the "Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha"[37][38] to support women's rights, widows and the victims of sexual violence.[39] Contemporary English newspapers like the Poona Observer and Deccan Weekly Reporter described the Phules' efforts as "the heralding of a new age in the history of Hindu culture".[40]

Legacy

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Statues of Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule, at Aurangabad in Maharashtra
Bust of Savitribai Phule in Pune

Savitribai Phule's legacy lives on today; her work for girl's and women's education is hugely respected.[41][42]

  • Along with B. R. Ambedkar and Annabhau Sathe, Phule has become an icon in particular for the backward classes. Women in local branches of the Manavi Hakk Abhiyan (Human Rights Campaign, a Mang-Ambedkarite body)[43] frequently organize processions on their Jayanti (birthday in Marathi and other Indian languages).[44]
  • Pune City Corporation created a memorial for her in 1983.[where?]
  • On 10 March 1998 a stamp was released by India Post in honour of Phule.[45]
  • Savitribai's birthdate, 3 January, is celebrated as Balika Din (lit. 'Girl Child Day') in the state of Maharashtra, especially in girl's schools.[46][47]
  • In 2015, the University of Pune was renamed as Savitribai Phule Pune University in her honour.[48]
  • On 3 January 2017, the search engine Google marked the 186th anniversary of the birth of Savitribai Phule with a Google doodle.[49]
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  • Krantijyoti Savitribai Phule, an Indian drama television series based on her life was aired on DD National in 2016.
  • iSavitri Jyoti, a Marathi drama television series based on the life and work of Savitribai Phule and Jyotiba Phule was aired on Sony Marathi in 2019- 2020.[50][51]
  • Savitribai Phule, an Indian Kannada-language biopic was made about Phule in 2018.[52]
  • In 2021, Pune University created a 12.5-foot, life-size bronze metal statue of Phule, It was inaugurated in 2022.[53]
  • Phule, a Hindi-language biopic on Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule, was released in 2025. It stars Pratik Gandhi as Jyotirao Phule and Patralekha as Savitribai Phule.[54][55]

See also

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References

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Notes

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Citations

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  1. ^ "Women's Day | सावित्रीबाईंच्याही आधी एका अमेरिकी महिलेने सुरू केली होती मुलींची शाळा american marathi mission misses Cynthia Farrar Girl's education at early age". eSakal - Marathi Newspaper. Archived from the original on 10 March 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  2. ^ a b "सावित्रीबाई फुले : भारतीय स्त्री मुक्तीच्या जनक | Savitribai Phule-Pioneer of Women's Education and Liberation". eSakal - Marathi Newspaper. 3 January 2022. Archived from the original on 3 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Savitribai Phule's 194th birth anniversary: A look at the life of India's first woman teacher". The Indian Express. 3 January 2025. Retrieved 13 May 2025. Savitribai Phule published her first collection of poems, called Kavya Phule ('Poetry's Blossoms'), at the age of 23 in 1854. She published Bavan Kashi Subodh Ratnakar ('The Ocean of Pure Gems'), in 1892.
  4. ^ Joshi, Priti; Shukla, Subir (17 October 2019). Child Development and Education in the Twenty-First Century. Springer Nature. p. 29. ISBN 978-981-13-9258-0.
  5. ^ a b c O'Hanlon, Rosalind (2002). Caste, Conflict and Ideology: Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Low Caste Protest in Nineteenth-Century Western India (Revised ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 135. ISBN 978-0-521-52308-0.
  6. ^ "Savitribai Phule: The pioneer of women's education in India". The Week. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  7. ^ Chakrabarty, Roshni (3 January 2025). "How Savitribai Phule's compassion shaped history through education and motherhood". India Today. Retrieved 10 May 2025.
  8. ^ Pol, Prabodhan (21 December 2023). "The Long-Lasting Legacy of Bhide Wada, Where the Phules Set Up Their First School". The Wire. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  9. ^ Jill Sperandio (11 December 2018). Pioneering Education for Girls across the Globe: Advocates and Entrepreneurs, 1742-1910. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-4985-2488-9.
  10. ^ a b c d e Sundararaman, T. (2009). Savitribai Phule first memorial lecture, [2008]. National Council of Educational Research and Training. ISBN 978-81-7450-949-9. OCLC 693108733.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i Kandukuri, Divya (11 January 2019). "The life and times of Savitribai Phule". Mint. Archived from the original on 19 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  12. ^ "सावित्रीबाई फुले : भारतीय पुरुष मुक्तीच्या जनक | Savitribai Phule-Pioneer of Women's Education and Liberation | Sakal". www.esakal.com. 3 January 2022. Archived from the original on 3 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  13. ^ a b Rege, Sharmila (2009). Savitribai Phule Second Memorial Lecture, [2009]. National Council of Educational Research and Training. ISBN 978-8-17450-931-4.
  14. ^ a b "Life Sketch of Savitribai Phule – Timeline". Velivada. 9 November 2017. Archived from the original on 12 May 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  15. ^ a b "स्त्री शिक्षणाच्या अग्रदूत: सावित्रीबाई फुले". Maharashtra Times (in Marathi). Archived from the original on 3 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  16. ^ a b O'Hanlon, Rosalind (2002). Caste, Conflict and Ideology: Mahatma Jotirao Phule and Low Caste Protest in Nineteenth-Century Western India (Revised ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-521-52308-0.
  17. ^ "Teachers' Day Special: The life of Savitribai Phule, India's first female educator". HinduTimes. 5 September 2019. Archived from the original on 16 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  18. ^ "Savitribai Phule – India's First Female Teacher – Itihaas to History". 18 January 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  19. ^ Sparandio 2018, p. 33.
  20. ^ "Savitribai Phule: India's first female teacher". Hindustan Times. 8 November 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  21. ^ S, Jyothi (3 January 2021). "Remembering Savitribai Phule". The Indian Express. Retrieved 12 May 2025. Later, the couple along with Sagunabai, started their own school at Bhide Wada, which became India's first girls school run by Indians.
  22. ^ "Pune: Bhide Wada Set To Become National Monument Following PMC's Legal Victory". Free Press Journal. 16 October 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2025. Bhide Wada holds historical significance as the birthplace of women's education in Pune, where Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule established the first girls' school on January 1, 1848, in Tatya Saheb Bhide's wada in Pune's Budhwar Peth.
  23. ^ "Savitribai Phule: Remembering India's first woman teacher". Moneycontrol. 3 January 2023. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  24. ^ Goswamy, Ruchika (26 February 2022). "Know your city: Savitribai Phule and the first modern school for girls she opened in Pune". The Indian Express. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  25. ^ "Who was Savitribai Phule? Remembering India's first woman teacher". The Financial Express. 3 January 2018. Archived from the original on 9 March 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  26. ^ Bhattacharya, Sabyasachi; Zelliot, Eleanor (2002). Education and the disprivileged : nineteenth and twentieth-century India (1. publ. ed.). Hyderabad: Orient Longman. pp. 35–37. ISBN 9788125021926.
  27. ^ Figueira (2012), p. 147.
  28. ^ Agnihotri, Sanjana (3 January 2017). "Who is Savitribai Phule? What did she do for women's rights in India?". India Today. Archived from the original on 15 November 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  29. ^ "Savitribai Phule – Google Arts & Culture". Google Cultural Institute. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  30. ^ Edathara, Sheji S (3 January 2023). "On her 192nd birth anniversary, a look at the life of Savitribai Phule, India's first woman teacher". The Indian Express. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  31. ^ "Work Done By Savitribai Phule, The First Indian Woman Teacher". Indore, [M.P.] India. 22 January 2020. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  32. ^ Chakrabarty 2024, p. 500, "Savitribai is often overshadowed as Mahatma Jotirao Phule's wife. But she embodied the empowered essence of the lower castes envisioning an egalitarian India through equitable education and demolishing caste prejudices.".
  33. ^ Chakrabarty 2024, p. 518.
  34. ^ Chakrabarty 2024, p. 515-516.
  35. ^ Keer 1960, p. 299.
  36. ^ Bhalerao, Mansi (2 January 2022). "Remembering The Vision And Resilience Of Savitribai Phule On Her Birth Anniversary". Feminism in India. Retrieved 10 May 2025. In 1852, she started the Mahila Seva Mandal to fight for the rights of women.
  37. ^ Khan, Mukhtar (8 March 2023). "Commemorating the struggle of women social reformers on International Women's Day". Sikkim Express. Retrieved 10 May 2025. On January 28, 1853, Mahatma Phule and Savitribai opened an ashram named 'Bal Hatya Pratibandhak Griha' for such victimized women. This was the first such ashram for women in the country. In this ashram, women were taught small jobs and their children were taken care of. When they grew up, they were admitted to school.
  38. ^ Edathara, Sheji S (3 January 2023). "On her 192nd birth anniversary, a look at the life of Savitribai Phule, India's first woman teacher". The Indian Express. Retrieved 10 May 2025. The couple also set up 'Balyata Pratibandak Gruha', a childcare centre for the protection of pregnant widows and rape victims.
  39. ^ Chakrabarty 2024, p. 519, Savitribai Phule inaugurated the Mahila Seva Mandal in 1852 to help women in need and raise awareness among women about their rights. (...) established the Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha, a care centre for pregnant Brahman widows and rape victims, offering maternal support and saving countless innocent lives from the scourge of infanticide..
  40. ^ Paik 2014, p. 81.
  41. ^ "Savitribai Phule 189th Birth Anniversary: Know About The 19th Century Social Reformer". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 3 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  42. ^ "How Savitribai Phule, India's one of the pioneer female teachers, dealt with abusers hell bent on preventing her from educating girls". India Today. 3 January 2020. Archived from the original on 3 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  43. ^ Waghmore, Suryakant (2016). "Challenging Normalised Exclusion: Humour and Hopeful Rationality in Dalit Politics". In Gorringe, Hugo; Jeffery, Roger; Waghmore, Suryakant (eds.). From the Margins to the Mainstream: Institutionalising Minorities in South Asia. SAGE Publications. p. 151. ISBN 978-9-35150-622-5.
  44. ^ Waghmore, Suryakant (2013). Civility against Caste: Dalit Politics and Citizenship in Western India. SAGE Publications. pp. 34, 57, 71–72. ISBN 978-8-13211-886-2.
  45. ^ Prof. Santoshkumar, M Katke. "Savitribai Phule Contribution towards Indian Social Elements" (PDF). JEITR.
  46. ^ "Savitribai Phule birth anniversary: Some facts about the social reformer, poetess and teacher". The Indian Express. 3 January 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2025. Her birthday is known as 'Balika Din' in Maharashtra, and is celebrated in many girls' schools.
  47. ^ SNS (3 January 2022). "Remembering Savitribai Phule on her birth anniversary". The Statesman. Retrieved 4 May 2025. Savitribai's birth anniversary is celebrated as 'Balika Din' in the whole of Maharashtra, especially in girls' schools.
  48. ^ Kothari, Vishwas (8 July 2014). "Pune university to be renamed after Savitribai Phule". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 12 July 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  49. ^ "Google doodle pays tribute to social reformer Savitribai Phule". The Hindu. 3 January 2017. Archived from the original on 3 January 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  50. ^ "सावित्री-जोतिरावांच्या चरित्रावर मालिका". Loksatta (in Marathi). Archived from the original on 3 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  51. ^ "TRP मिळत नसल्यानं सावित्रीबाई फुलेंवरची मालिका अखेर बंद". Maharashtra Times (in Marathi). Archived from the original on 3 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  52. ^ R, Shilpa Sebastian (8 August 2018). "Will it be a hat-trick?". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  53. ^ "सावित्रीबाईंच्या पुतळ्याचे अनावरण नाहीच". Maharashtra Times (in Marathi). Archived from the original on 3 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  54. ^ Desai, Rahul (25 April 2025). "'Phule' Movie Review: Grand Stories, Bland Storytelling". The Hollywood Reporter India. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  55. ^ Kumar, Anuj (25 April 2025). "Phule movie review: Pratik Gandhi brings home the Mahatma". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 4 May 2025.

Bibliography

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Further reading

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