What is Savitribai Phule famous for?

Savitribai Phule is famous for her fight for girls' education and the empowerment of Dalits. She was the first female teacher in India and also was the co-founder of Satyashodhak Samaj, a social reform group in Pune. She founded the Mahila Seva Mandal to promote awareness of women's rights and also opened India's first girls' school, Bhide Wada in Pune.

Who was the first teacher in India?

Savitribai Phule was the first female teacher in India. She started to teach in the Year 1848 and established various schools, especially for girls' education in Maharashtra.

Who was the husband of Savitribai Phule?

Jyotirao Phule was the husband of Savitribai Phule. At the age of nine, she married a 13-year-old Jyotirao.

Which American missionary trained the Savitribai Phule?

The American missionary who trained the Savitribai Phule was Cynthia Farrar. After finishing school, she enrolled in two teacher-training programmes. The one was managed by an American missionary named Cynthia Farrar in Ahmednagar and the second was at a Normal School in Pune.

What is the Slogan of Savitribai Phule?

Savitribai gave various slogans like, "We shall overcome and success will be ours in the future, the future belongs to us" was one. The other one was "Rise, to learn and act."

Savitribai Phule - Early Life, Important Facts, Social Reforms

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Savitri Bai Phule Jayanti

Today, January 3, is the birth anniversary of India’s first female teacher Savitribai Phule. Savitribai Phule, who dedicated her life to women’s education in Maharashtra, was born on 3 January 1831 in Nayagaon, a small village in the Satara district of Maharashtra. She was born in a Dalit family. Savitri Bai Phule is credited with being India’s first teacher. She achieved this incredible feat at a time when it was difficult for women to even leave the house, let alone get an education. Savitribai was not only a social reformer, but she was also a philosopher and poet. His poems mostly focused on nature, education and the abolition of the caste system. At a time when the caste system was at its peak in the country, he promoted inter-caste marriages.

Who is Savitri Bai Phule?

Savitribai Phule (1831–1897) was an influential Indian Social Reformer and Educator. Born in Maharashtra, she, along with her husband Jyotirao Phule, played a key role in advancing women’s rights and education in 19th-century India. Savitribai became the first female teacher to establish the first women’s school in Pune in 1848, contributing significantly to breaking gender barriers in education. A passionate advocate for social equality, she fought against caste discrimination and untouchability. Savitribai was also a talented poet, using her verses to address societal issues and promote justice. Her pioneering efforts in education and social reform have left an enduring legacy, making her a symbol of empowerment and progress in Indian history.

Personal and Family Life of Savitri Bai Phule

Savitribai Phule was born on January 3, 1831, in Satara District, Maharashtra.
She was part of the Mali Community and was the youngest daughter of Lakshmi and Khandoji Nevase Patil.
At the age of nine, she married Jyotirao Phule, who was 13 years old.
Savitribai and Jyotirao did not have children of their own.
They adopted Yashwantrao, a son born to a Brahmin widow.
When Yashwantrao was getting married, nobody wanted to give him a bride because he was born to a widow.
To solve this, Savitribai arranged his marriage to a worker in her organization, and it was an inter-caste marriage.

Educational Career of Savitri Bai Phule

Savitri Bai didn’t go to school until she was unmarried.
Jyotirao, her husband, educated her at home along with Sagunabai Kshirsagar, Jyotirao’s cousin sister.
After completing basic education, Savitri Bai joined two teacher-training programs.
The first program was in Ahmednagar, managed by an American missionary named Cynthia Farrar.
The second program was at a Normal School in Pune.
It is believed that Savitribai may have been the first Indian woman teacher and headmistress who received formal training for her work.

Savitri Bai Phule – Pioneer of Women’s Education

Public education was rare in the 1800s, but Jyotirao Phule and Savitri started a women’s school in Pune in 1848.
Savitri, the first Indian woman to do so, faced opposition when she began educating girls in Maharwada, Pune.
Despite criticism, Savitri completed teacher training, proving wrong those who believed women couldn’t teach.
In 1848, Savitribai became India’s first female educator.
By 1851, Jyotirao and Savitri Bai established three schools in Pune with around 150 female students.
Their teaching methods were considered better than government schools, and more girls attended Phule’s schools than boys in official schools.
Facing family opposition, Jyotiba and Savitri Bai left their home in 1849, as educating women was frowned upon.
Savitribai met Fatima Begum Sheikh while studying at Normal School in Pune, and both graduated together.
Fatima Sheikh became India’s first Muslim female teacher.
In the 1850s, Jyotiba and Savitri Bai founded two Educational Trusts, including the Native Female School, Pune, and The Society for Promoting the Education of Mahars, Mangs, and Etceteras, with several schools in Pune.

Social Reformer in Pune By Savitri Bai Phule

In 1852, Savitribai established the Mahila Seva Mandal to support women’s rights.
The goal was to make women aware of their human rights and address social issues.
Savitribai organized a successful barbers’ strike in Mumbai and Pune to protest the shaving of widows’ heads.
She hosted a gathering for women of all castes, promoting unity and eliminating caste discrimination.
Savitribai fought against child marriage and advocated for widow remarriage.
In 1863, they opened a home in their house to prevent infanticide and care for exploited Brahman widows and their infants.
In 1873, she conducted the first Satyashodhak Marriage, which had no dowry and excluded Brahmin priests and ceremonies.
In 1890, her husband Jyotirao passed away, and she defied societal norms by lighting his funeral pyre.
Even after Jyotirao’s death, Savitribai continued the work of the Satya Shodhak Samaj.
In 1893, she led the annual session of Satya Shodhak Samaj in Saswad.

Satya Shodhak Samaj was Founded By Savitribai & Jyotirao Phule

On September 24, 1873, Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai formed the Satyashodhak Samaj in Pune, Maharashtra. It aimed to promote education and increase social and political rights for marginalized groups in Maharashtra. The focus was on uplifting women, Shudras, and Dalits.
Savitribai led the female section of Satyashodhak Samaj.
In the 1930s, the Samaj disbanded as its leaders joined the Indian National Congress. Savitribai Phule’s poetry and books gained recognition from the British Indian Empire. She was the first Dalit woman from the Mali community to achieve this feat. Known as the “Mother of Modern Poetry,” she highlighted the importance of English and education in her poems.
Her assertive works include “Kavya Phule” in 1854 and “Bavan Kashi Subodh Ratnakar” in 1892, both in Marathi. Savitribai addressed women’s exploitation in her poem ‘Should They Be Called Humans?’ and wrote the inspiring line ‘Rise, to learn and act’ in another poem.

Important Facts of Savitri Bai Phule

Savitribai Phule was born on January 3, 1831, in Satara District, Maharashtra, and passed away on March 10, 1897, due to plague.
She belonged to the Mali Community and was the daughter of Lakshmi and Khandoji Nevase Patil.
Married at nine to Jyotirao Phule, they had no children and adopted a son named Yashwant Rao.
Despite being uneducated, Savitribai learned after marriage through Jyotirao’s teachings.
After finishing school, she joined teacher-training programs.
In 1848, Jyotirao and Savitribai founded India’s first women’s school at Bhide Wada, Pune.
They established three schools in Pune by the end of 1851 with around 150 female students.
Facing family opposition, they left their home in 1849.
In the 1850s, Jyotiba and Savitri Bai Phule founded Educational Trusts.
In 1852, Savitribai established the Mahila Seva Mandal to promote women’s rights.
In 1873, they formed the Satyashodhak Samaj in Pune, Maharashtra.
Savitribai performed the first Satyashodhak marriage, without dowry or Brahminical ceremonies.
Despite her husband’s death in 1890, she defied societal norms and lit his funeral pyre.
Savitribai’s poems were recognized by the British-India Empire, earning her the title “Mother of Modern Poetry.”
She published works like “Kavya Phule” in 1854 and “Bavan Kashi Subodh Ratnakar” in 1892 in Marathi.

Famous Books & Poetry by Savitri Bai Phule

Savitribai Phule was the first Indian woman whose poems got recognition from the British Indian Empire.
As a member of the Mali community, she became the first Dalit woman to achieve this distinction.
Known as the “Mother of Modern Poetry,” she stressed the importance of English and education in her poems.
In 1854, she published the assertive work “Kavya Phule,” followed by “Bavan Kashi Subodh Ratnakar” in 1892, both in Marathi.
Savitribai addressed women’s exploitation in her poem ‘Should They Be Called Humans?’
In another poem, she wrote the inspiring line, ‘Rise, to learn and act.’

Achievements Of Savitri Bai Phule

On September 24, 1873, Savitribai & Jyotirao Phule formed a social reform group called Satyashodhak Samaj in Pune.
After Jyotirao Phule’s death in 1890, Savitribai became the chairman of Satyashodak Samaj.
She pioneered the concept of ‘Satyashodhak’ marriage, promoting the idea of no dowry.
In 1852, she founded Mahila Seva Mandal to raise awareness about women’s rights.
Savitribai led the Women’s Section of Society later on.
Phule established India’s first girls’ school, Pune’s Bhide Wada, in 1848.
Savitribai Phule was among the first women in Modern India to publish literary works in Marathi.
Her poems, “Kavya Phule” in 1854 and “Bavan Kashi Subodh Ratnakar” in 1892, were notable releases.
Savitribai and her adopted son, Yashwant, set up a clinic on the outskirts of Pune to treat bubonic plague victims.
She died heroically while carrying a plague-infected child to the hospital on her back.
Savitribai contracted the Plague during this brave act and passed away on March 10, 1897.
She is recognized as one of India’s first modern feminists.

Legacy of Savitri Bai Phule

Savitribai Phule’s ideology left a significant mark on India’s intellectual and feminist movements, especially in Non-Brahman, Dalit, and women’s politics.
Her teachings on universal rights and equality, along with her critique of Brahmin dominance in social, religious, and political spheres, greatly influenced the Non-Brahman Movement.
Phule’s ideas also played a crucial role in shaping the Dalit and women’s educational movements in the early twentieth century, distinct from the Non-Brahman Movement.
Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule, along with B. R. Ambedkar, have become symbolic figures for marginalized communities.
On Savitribai’s Jayanti, women in local branches organize the Human Rights Campaign.
In 1983, the Pune City Corporation erected a memorial for Savitribai Phule, and India Post issued a stamp in her honor in 1998.
January 3rd, Savitribai’s birthday, is observed as Balika Din, meaning ‘Girl Child Day’ throughout Maharashtra.
In her honor, the University of Pune was renamed ‘Savitribai Phule University’ in 2015.