#Shakthi series - Savitribai Phule
Shakthis
Who Shaped our Society
#5 Savithribai Phule – The mother of the abandoned
(1831-1897)
The small girls were running around during their school break. A
middle aged lady was looking at the children with a contented smile. This was a not a scene in a school in the 21st century. It was a scene at a school in the late 1800s
Savthirbai
Phule – the protector of women in children was a phenomenon in Maharastra in
the late 19th century. Savithribai Phule was happy to see her
children in their element.
Heralded as the mother of Indian
feminism, Savitribai Phule spent her life in the service of poor and downtrodden.
Her work in the education and upliftment of women and widows was particularly
notable especially she lived in a conservative society.
Savitribai Phule was a trailblazer
in providing education for girls and for ostracized portions of society. She
became the first female teacher in India (1848) and opened a school for girls
with her husband, Jyotirao Phule.
Savitribai went on to establish a
shelter (1864) for destitute women and played a crucial role in grooming
Jyotirao Phule’s pioneering institution, Satyashodhak Samaj, (1873) that fought
for equality of all classes.
Her life is heralded as a beacon of
women’s rights in India. She is often referred to as the mother of Indian
feminism.
Early
years
Savitribai was born in Naigaon, a
small village in the state of Maharashtra, India. As a young girl, Savitribai
displayed a strong sense of curiosity and ambition. Savitribai was married to
Jyotirao Phule in 1840 at the age of nine and become a child bride. She moved
to Pune with him soon after.
Savitribai could not read but
carried a book. Impressed by her desire to learn, Jyotirao taught her how to
read and write. Later Savitribai did a teachers’ training course at Ahmednagar
and Pune. She became a qualified teacher after finishing her 4th
examimation in 1847.
Pioneer of Women’s upliftment
Determined to change the condition
of women in the country, Savitribai, along with Jyotirao, a man of social
reform himself, opened a school for girls in 1848. She became the first female
teacher of India.
In 1853, Savitribai and Jyotirao
established an education society that opened more schools for girls and women
from all classes, in surrounding villages.
Mother of the Oppressed
Oppressed classes were forbidden
from drinking water from the common village well. Jyotirao and Savitribai dug a
well in their own backyard for them to drink water from. This move created a
serious back lash then.
Sympathising with the plight of
widows in India, Savitribai opened a shelter for them in 1854. After years of
continuous reform, she paved the way to build a large shelter in 1864 for
destitute women, widows and child brides cast aside by their families. She
educated them all. She also adopted Yashwantrao, the son of a widow sheltered
in this institution.
The bubonic plague spread across Maharashtra in 1897. Not one to be a mere spectator, Savitribai rushed to affected areas to help. She opened a clinic for plague victims in Hadapsar, Pune.
Social Reformer
Savitribai was instrumental in
shaping Satyashodhak Samaj, The Truthseeker’s Society, a brainchild of
Jyotirao’s. The Samaj primarily aimed at eliminating discrimination and the
need for social order. In 1873, Savitribai started the practice of Satyashodhak
Marriage, where couples took an oath of education and equality.
Defying social norms, she lit her
husband’s pyre when he died.
Awards
Her efforts didn’t go unnoticed.
She was declared to be the best teacher in the state by the British government
in 1852. She received further praise from the government in 1853 for her work
in the field of education.
While carrying a 10-year-old plague
victim to the clinic in her arms, she contracted the disease herself. On March
10, 1897, Savitribai Phule breathed her last.
We salue this Shakthi Savitribai Phule who brought the light of education and hope to the many.
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