Started Night School

The Phule couple established a night school in 1855 for laborers and farmers. Since many oppressed individuals could only be reached at night and did not have the choice of attending regular schools, the Phule couple founded the night school in order to meet their requirements.

Savitribai Phule : Complete Biography (Personal Life, Education, Career & Role)

Biography of Savitribai Phule: Personal Life, Education, and Career: The first feminist in India, born on January 3, 1831, was raised in a nation under British Raj control with no mention of women’s rights. She accomplished the historic feat of founding the first school for females, as we know, working hand in hand with her social reformer husband, Jyotirao Phule. Most of us, however, are unaware of the torture Phule endured at the hands of a culture that was backward because she dared to teach women.

In this article, find out how Savitribai Phule was instrumental in elevating the position of women in Indian society, her educational background, the challenges she faced, and her outlook on certain societal practices. Read below to find out more.

Savitribai Phule

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Biography Savitribai Phule

On January 3, 1831, Savitribai Phule was born in Naigaon, in the Satara district of Maharashtra. She was the oldest child of Lakshmi and Khandoji Neveshe Patil, who were both members of the Other Backward Caste (OBC) that once comprised the Mali group. She married 13-year-old Jyotirao Phule at the age of nine....

Speech on Savitribai Phule

Given below is the example of a speech idea on the topic of “Savitribai Phule”:...

Savirtribai Phule University

Savitribai Phule Pune University, formerly known as the University of Pune, is one of India’s premier institutions of higher education and research, located in the vibrant city of Pune, Maharashtra. Established on February 10, 1949, the university has been named after the 19th-century Indian social reformer Savitribai Phule, who was a pioneering figure in female education in India. This renaming serves as a tribute to her significant contributions to education and empowerment of women in the Indian subcontinent....

Official Education of Savitribai Phule

After she married, Jyotirao educated Savitribai Phule. Jyotirao took his wife to a school to receive training, and both she and another woman, Fatima Sheikh, passed with flying colors....

The First Female Teacher in India – Savitribai Phule

In addition to being the first female teacher in India, Savitribai Phule was also nominated as the country’s first female headmistress on January 1, 1848, when the Phule couple established the country’s first school at Bhide Wada in Pune. Savitribai found it extremely difficult to teach at the girls’ school. On her journey to teaching, she endured countless insults and heard derogatory remarks directed at her. The first female teacher in India was being followed to her job by groups of conservative males. They threw stones, tomatoes, cow dung, and rotten eggs. They used vulgar language to attack her. People were outraged and startled by this couple’s arrogance in trying to educate women. Some who were regressive said that Jyotirao would die young and that Savitribai would lose him to worms from the food he ate. According to Pramila Dandavate, “It was believed that if a woman started writing, she would write letters to all and sundry.”...

The First Female Poets of India – Savitribai Phule

In India, the first female poetess was also the first female educator and teacher. Her poems in “Kavya Phule” (1934) and “Bavan Kashi Subodh Ratnakar” (1982), which explore caste and gender, still have an impact on us today. When Savitribai was only 23 years old, “Kavya Phule” was released. She also penned a poem titled “Go, Get Education,” which exhorted readers to educate themselves in order to break free from oppression....

Foundation of RTE and Midday Meal Schemes:

Although midday meal programs and the Right to Education Act are relatively new ideas, Savitribai and Jyotiba Phule laid the groundwork for them about 170 years ago by providing stipends to students in an effort to lower the school dropout rate. By attending to each and every student’s health at school, they took steps to lower childhood malnutrition....

Honored by the British Government

With increasing influence, Savitribai Phule founded more schools for women and girls before receiving recognition from the British government for her outstanding achievements....

Challenging the Casteist Patriarchy

In addition, Phule fought to eradicate the unequal treatment of individuals based on their gender and caste. She passed away while tending to patients during the global Third Pandemic of the bubonic plague, a bacterial infection, because she believed that treating untouchables was difficult. Phule also worked to abolish caste....

Mahila Seva Mandal

In 1852, Savitribai Phule founded Mahila Seva Mandal, an organization dedicated to educating women about human rights, the value of life, and other social concerns. After criticizing them for shaving the heads of young widows, the pair went on to organize the first-ever barbers strike. They also allowed everyone access to their own water reservoir as a demonstration against the sin of untouchability....

On Widow Remarriage and the Elimination of Caste Discrimination

She organized a campaign against child marriage and encouraged all the women to sit on the same mattress in an effort to end caste discrimination. Savitribai Phule supported widow remarriage as well. Savitribai and her husband started a number of awareness programs that inspired individuals like Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi to oppose caste inequality....

A Strong Feminist

The Mahila Seva Mandal was founded in 1852 by feminist icon Savitribai to promote women’s rights. All castes were welcome to attend the women’s gathering that Savitribai organized, and everyone was required to sit on the same mat....

Home for the Prevention of Infanticide

In her home, she also established the Home for the Prevention of Infanticide, a place where Brahmin widows may give birth to their children in safety. If they were unable to care for the child, they might abandon it there. As a matter of fact, Savitribai also adopted Yashwant, a newborn from the shelter. She advocated for widow remarriage while also fighting against child marriage....

Started Night School

The Phule couple established a night school in 1855 for laborers and farmers. Since many oppressed individuals could only be reached at night and did not have the choice of attending regular schools, the Phule couple founded the night school in order to meet their requirements....

Satyashodhak Samaj in 1873

Phules’s public engagement started in the early 1870s. At the time, Brahmin leaders founded groups like Arya Samaj, Brahmo Samaj, and Prarthana Samaj, which may have been exclusive to Brahmin interests. In response to the need for a group that promoted non-Brahmin interests, Jyotiba and associates founded Satyashodhak Samaj in 1873. Savitribai continued the organization’s activity when Jyotiba passed away in 1890. She also presided over the annual assembly held in Saswad in 1893. In those days, it was revolutionary enough for a woman to chair a session....

Well for Untouchables

Savitribai Phule and Mahatma Jyotiba Phule opened the well in their home for the use of untouchables during a period when even the shadow of an untouchable was seen as filthy and people refused to give thirsty untouchables water. The Brahmins were given a challenge to alter their attitude towards untouchables. Sadly, the unwholesome beliefs of the so-called higher castes have not altered, and Dalits, or untouchables, continue to fight for their right to water. This has been the case for nearly 200 years....

Role of Savitribai Phule in Women’s Education

Education was viewed by Savitribai Phule and her husband as a means of improving the lives of those from socially marginalized groups....

Key facts about Savitribai Phule

Post Stamp in Honor...

Conclusion

Generations after her are still motivated by the relentless efforts of Savitribai to combat the enduring social ills and by the numerous positive changes she left behind....

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