Jyotiba Phule

He was married as a young boy to Savitribai who was just nine years old. His wife fully supported his idealistic views and became a feminist and social activist in her own right.

The couple did not have any biological children. They adopted one of the infants, a boy, from the home they ran for pregnant widows. The boy grew up to be a doctor and carried forward his parents’ legacy of social service.

The great reformer from Mumbai, Rao Bahadur Vithalrao Krishnaji Vandekar gave Jyotirao Phule the title of “Mahatma” in May 1888 in recognition of his selfless services to humanity.

He was born as Jyotirao Phule in Satara district of Maharashtra. His father Govindrao worked as a vegetable vendor and his family belonged to the “Mali” caste, considered inferior to the Brahmins. His mother’s name was Chimana and he had one brother.

His mother died when Jyotiba was just nine months old. Heart-broken, his father refused to remarry and appointed a nurse to look after his two boys. Fortunately, the nurse was a kind lady and took good care of the children.

He attended primary school but left his studies to work in the farms. However, his neighbors who recognized the child’s intelligence convinced his father to let him continue his education.

His father arranged his marriage when he was around 13 years of age as was the custom during those days.

Jyotiba went to the local Scottish Mission’s High School and passed out in 1847. While in school he read the biographies of Shivaji and George Washington which inspired him. He was also greatly influenced by Thomas Paine’s ‘Rights of Man’.

Jyotiba realized the importance of education and felt that the society can emerge out of darkness only when every individual has access to education. He began educating his wife at home. Fortunately, his wife shared his idealistic beliefs.

In 1848, he gave a concrete shape to his aspirations and opened the first ever school for girls. He asked his wife to teach the girls for which she gladly agreed. But the society was not ready to accept this and Jyotiba and his wife were made to leave their house.

The school was open to girls from all sections of the society. Girls from different religions, castes, and socio-economic background would come to study. However, the school was temporarily closed due to shortage of funds.

Even though his social endeavors made him unpopular among the conservative Brahmins, there were several Brahmins, Christians and Muslims who were impressed by his efforts to eradicate inequality and supported him wholeheartedly.

In 1851, he started a bigger girls’ school where he also taught. The girls were taught reading, mathematics, geography, history, etc. The growing popularity of the school motivated him to open more such schools.

He was a pioneer in the field of women’s education. At a time when women were among the most downtrodden sections of the society, Jyotiba’s endeavor to educate them came as a shock to everyone. But he persisted and built many schools for girls from different backgrounds.