H R Phonsa
Mata Savitribai Phuley is the first woman known in the Indian history which lived and died for the social upliftment of down trodden including women. She was born on 3rd of January 1831 in Naya Ganj , Tehsil Khandala ,District Satara of Maharashtra. Her father’s was Khado Ji Nevse Patil . At the time of her birth, no body could realize that the small ray of light which had descended on the earth in the form of Savitribai shall become a torch bearer for many suppressed, illiterate including women.
At an age of 9 years in 1840, she was married to Jyotirao Phule, who was then 13 years old. The union of two small lights later emerged as a big Light House for millions of their fellow countrymen. The couple fought for the human rights for down trodden people including women of India to make them to live with dignity.
The Education to Savitribhai was imparted at home and also she was sent for training in teaching at Mitchell’s school in Pune where she performed very well and remained successful as per her husband plans. Mahatama Phule had passed his Secondary Education Examination in 1847 from Scottish Mission High School Poona and had decided not to accept any job under the Government. He read Paine’s famous book “The Rights of Man” which revolutionized the young mind of Jyotirao Phule and he in turn influenced the tender mind of Savitribhai.Both took oath to stand by each other for Social Revolution even at the cost of their lives and comforts. They faced hard life ordeals to help those to whom even God did not care.
They opened first Girl’s School on 1st January,1848 against the vicious campaign launched by orthodox upper caste Hindus for their this act as education to girls was coded as unlawful in the law codes of orthodox Hindus . Nine girl students with two from untouchable castes got admission in this school. No upper caste Hindu teacher came forward to teach. Therefore, Mahatama Phule appointed Savitribai as Headmistress of this school. This school was run from the house of a Brahmin in Budhwara Peth, with majority of Brahmin girl students. The orthodox Brahmins raised a great hue and cry against carrying on women education including those of Shudra girls, which stood banned by the Hindu scripture. As soon as Savitribai came out from her house to go to school, people would throw on her cow dung and mud spoiling here dress, which she washed at the school and at her residence. But ill treatment meted out to her by upper caste Hindus did not deter her from her strong convictions and she carried on with the noble cause for the social change. She, instead, opened another school on 15th May 1848 in untouchable’s colony and it was run by her widowed sister -in-law (husband ‘s sister) Smt. Suganabai. On this again the reactionaries, raised objections and threatened Govinda Rao (Jyotirao ‘s father) with dire consequences, if, he failed to dissociate himself from the activities of his son and daughter-in-law. So the couple left their home to continue their missionary endeavor. Both shifted to a Muslim Mian Usman Sheikh’s house. Smt. Fatima Sister of Mian Sheikh known as first Muslim women teacher of 18th century started educating Dalit children in this school opened by a Hindu Dalit couple. This was an extremely difficult task during those days of Brahmin domination. Mahatma Jyotirao Phule blamed the British Government for spending profusely a large portion of the state revenue on the education of the higher castes, which resulted in monopoly of all higher offices under the Government by the Brahmins. The dedicated couple wanted to break this monopoly so as to prepare the down trodden masses for struggle of having equal rights as human beings in their motherland. Jyotirao Phule for the first time , made strong demand in memorandum submitted to Hunter Commission in 1882 for free and compulsory education to all. This plea was accepted on the instance of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and incorporated in the Constitution of Free India in 1950. 880 words
Savitribai was not only an educationist but a great philanthropist, social revolutionary, writer and poet. She published Kavya Phule in 1854 and Bavan Kashi Subodh Ratnakar in 1892, and also a poem entitled “Go, Get Education” Her poetry book first published in 1854 was titled as “KABYE PHULE” .In one of her poems she makes out that the British succeeded in establishing their rule in India due to denial of Educational opportunities by the Aryans to the original inhabitants of India. After the death of her husband in November 1890, she successfully managed for seven years the affairs of “SATYA SHODAK-SAMAJ” established by her husband to look after the needs of unfortunate children. While carrying personally a cholera ridden Mahar boy to the clinic of her son and to get him admitted there, she got infected and died of cholera on the 10th of March 1897.To honour her works in 2015, the University of Pune was renamed as Savitribai Phule, a postal stamp was released by India Post on 10 March 1998 and even Google search engine carried Savitribai Google doodle on 3 January 2019.
We salute the iron lady who struck hard to break the shackles of religious progeny, caste and dynasty to establish social order of Universal Brotherhood. She was first Indian women leader, who worked for the upliftment and dignity of women and children and was a staunch opponent of orthodox laws including Untouchability. She deserved to be honored with Bharat Ratna for being “Mother of Women Education in India”
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