A Case Study on Savitri Phule

Woman Empowerment | Education | Importance of Learning

Intro
Women plays important role in the family and society as well. Their dual role is very important
in every age. But women empowerment is the burning issue all over the world. Although women
are not completely empowered in India but the process of women empowerment is started and
that credit goes to Savitribai Phule in India. If she would have not taken the initiative to educate
women then the condition of women would have been worse. So all the women and the lower
caste people should thank her. Mind you that I am not a casteist.
Although the British criticized the caste system, they were reluctant to do anything drastic that
would threaten the continuation of their rule in India. But clouds of change were appearing on
the horizon towards the middle of the 19th century. There was a spread of Western education.
Indian students were introduced to the ideas of the Enlightenment, the importance of reason,
human autonomy, equality of all humans, and secularism.
People in Maharashtra were also being influenced by social reform movements in the rest of the
Indian subcontinent led by people like Raja Rammohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar,
Dayanand Saraswati.
About Phule
Savitribai Phule was born on January 3, 1831 in the village of Naigaon in Satara District,
Maharashtra. She belonged to the Mali Community. At the age of 10, Savitribai Phule was
married to Jyotirao Phule, who was thirteen years old at that time.
Her husband Jyotirao was educated at a missionary school.
At the time of her marriage, Savitribai Phule had not been educated because Upper Caste forbade
it for people of her low caste and gender. Jyotirao was also forced temporarily to abandon his
education because of his caste but eventually was able to enroll in a Scottish missionary school,
where he studied to grade seven.
According to government records, Jyotirao educated Savitribai at their home. After completing
her primary education with Jotirao, her further education was the responsibility of his friends,
Sakharam Yeshwant Paranjpe and Keshav Shivram Bhavalkar. She also enrolled in two teacher's
training programs. The first was at institution run by an American missionary, Cynthia Farrar, in
Ahmednagar. The second course was at a Normal School in Pune.
Her Role in Indian Education
1. First Women’s School
After completing her studies, Savitribai Phule opened her first school in Bhide Wada at Pune for
girls on 1 January 1848 and was the youngest female school teacher of modern India, at the age
of 17 years.
Initially, nine girls of different castes were enrolled as students. The school was open to girls
from all sections of the society. Girls from different religious, castes, and socio-economic
background would come to study. However, the school was temporarily closed due to shortage
of funds.
The orthodox Brahmins were very much disturbed by this act. They met father of Jyotirao –
Govindrao and convinced him to stop his son and daughter in-law from such activity of
educating the Shudra-Ati-Shudras and the females, as it was considered as a-dharma. It is
against the will of the Hindu dharma shastras. They convinced Govindrao to the extent he told
his son that he would expel him from the house if he did not stop this activity and he did
accordingly. Initially, he tried to convince his son Jyotirao, but when he failed to convince him
not to educate the downtrodden people, the father threw him out of the house at midnight.
Savitribai accompanied her husband in this critical moment; instead of staying back with the
orthodox in-laws, she preferred to be with her husband. The school work came to an abrupt halt
for some time, as now they had to face one more difficulty, that of their survival. But, they did
not accept defeat the school was started again.
Jyotirao worked part-time in a missionary school for his livelihood and dedicated the rest of the
time to their school, while Savitribai would work full-time, without any remuneration, at the
school.
Thus, with the support of Jyotirao’s friend and their hard work the work that began in August
1848, and which was discontinued for a while, was restarted in 1851.
The first three schools for girls were started on 3 July 1851, 17 November 1851 and 15 March
1852 at the Chiplunkar Wada, Rasta Peth and Vetal Peth, respectively.

2. Difficulties Encountered
As mentioned earlier, the orthodox society was not prepared for imparting education to the girls
and the downtrodden section of the Hindu society; hence, from the very beginning; they opposed
these activities vehemently.
A few instances of the difficulties the couple faced are as follows. First, Savitribai Phule used to
leave for the school early in the morning. She used to carry one extra sari extra with her. On her
way to school, she was routinely harassed by orthodox men, who threw mud, rotten eggs,
tomatoes, cow-dung and dirt at her. When she went to school, since her sari was soiled, she
would change into another sari. It would again be soiled on her way back home, and yet, she did
not give up.
During the journey from her house to the school and back, she was followed by the groups of
orthodox men who would abuse her in obscene language. Some bullies even threatened to
physically assault her. Stones were pelted at her often. However, in spite of all this opposition,
Savitribai continued to teach the girls.
The guard, who was then appointed for her, wrote in his memoirs about what she would say to
those men, “As I do the sacred task of teaching my fellow sisters, the stones or cow dung that
you throw seem like flowers to me. May God bless you!”.

3. Her educational pragmatic views

For Savitribai Phule education was not only gaining knowledge and getting degrees. Her thought
was that everyone should get education through free mind and free thought. She used to say that
education is one of the basic need as like food, shelter and clothing. She realised the main reason
for the backwardness of people which was none other than education. So she look towards the
problem of educational upliftment of the masses as a pragmatist. Savitribai was a strong critic of
the orthodox ideologies of the times. People used to take loans for marriages and festivals. She
wrote an essay ‘Karz’ to discourage people against the debt trap.
For Savitribai, education was not simply alphabetical learning, but rather, an evolution of the
mind itself. For Jyotirao and Savitribai, education was a means to bring about a radical change in
the society. It was means for transformation of the society altogether.
They also focused on providing girls and boys vocational and practical education, to make them
capable of independent thought. They believed that an industrial department should be attached
to the schools where children could learn useful trades and crafts and be able to manage their
lives comfortably and independently. She took initiatives to reduce malnutrition in children by
taking care of the health of each and every child in school. To prevent children from dropping
out of school, Savitribai set a precedent 184 years back by giving stipends to children.
She started teaching in an innovative way through telling short stories, reading poems and
introducing sports sessions. Savitribai's poems and other writings are still an inspiration to
others. She also actively engaged in continuous dialogue with the parents of the students and
always motivated them to educate their children for a better future.
Savitribai Phule also tried to inspire the people to take up education through poetry. She was
considered a pioneer of Marathi poetry. Her two collections of poems Kavya Phule in 1854 and
BavanKashi Subodh Ratnakar in 1892 were published. Both emphasised on the importance of
English and education.
She is also said to have inspired a young student to ask for a library for the school at an award
ceremony instead of gifts for herself. She inspired young girls to take up painting, writing, and
other activities.
She consistently propagated the modern values such as humanism, liberty, equality, brotherhood
and rationalism through her writings.
In one of the poems named ’Agyan’ Savitribai wrote:-
एक ही शत्रु हमारा
उसे भगाएँ सब ममलकर
उसके मसवा नहीीं है दजू ा
खोजो मन में सोचो
सनु ो गौर से उसका नाम
अज्ञान

4. Amazing Work
The Inspector of Schools, Dadoba Pandurang inspected the school and examined the girls on 16
October 1851. Though not much time had passed since the school began, the progress that the
girls showed was remarkable. The first annual examination of the schools was held on 17
February 1852, while the second annual examination was held in Poona College on 12 February
1853.
These reports note that unprecedented crowds had gathered in Pune to witness the process of the
examinations. About 3,000 people had gathered in the campus of the college and there were even
more people waiting outside. Two hundred and thirty seven girls sat for their exams. The annual
accounts of the institution were audited. It had collected Rs. 1947 and 50 paise through donations
and the participation of the people running the institution. They would receive financial aid to the
tune of Rs. 900/- from the Dakshina Prize Fund of the government. Jyotirao-Savitribai, believed
in providing accurate and timely accounts for public money in the public domain.
A published, detailed report of the examination in the schools for the 'untouchables', held on 2
February 1858 in the Coach Factory of Babaji Manaji, is available in the archives. The earlier
examination was held on 29 August 1856. The institution already had three schools. Though it
wished to expand, the Europeans stopped the funding after the Mutiny of 1857, pushing the
institution into a financial crisis. Rs. 300 was given from the Dakshina Prize Committee every
year and the government had sanctioned a sum of Rs. 5000 towards the Building Fund of the
school.

Social Reformer
Savitribai Phule was a first women social reformer in India. Those days dalits were not allowed
to take water from public tanks & wells. Many times they used to remain thirsty. In 1868
Savitribai Phule & Jyotiba phule dug a well in their house and made open for people from every
caste
The Satyashodhak Samaj (The Truth-Seeker.s Society) was established on 24 September 1873,
and Savitribai was an extremely dedicated and passionate activist of the Samaj. The Samaj
undertook the programme of arranging marriages without a priest, without dowry and at
minimum costs. The first such marriage was arranged on 25 December 1873. Later, this
movement spread across the newly emerging nation centuries old religious traditions. The
marriage of Radha, daughter of Savitribai’s friend Bajubai Gyanoba Nimbankar and activist
Sitram Jabaji Aalhat was the first Satyashodhak marriage. Savitribai herself bore all the expenses
on this historic occasion.
This method of marriage, similar to a registered marriage, is still prevalent in many parts of
India. These marriages were opposed by priests and .bhatjis. (Brahmans) all over the country,
and they also went to court on this matter. Savitribai and Jotirao had to face severe difficulties
but that did not deter them from their path. On 4 February 1889, at the age of 16, they also got
their adopted son married in this manner. This was the first inter-caste marriage in modern India.
Yeshwant took up a job in the army after completing his medical education. Ambedkar had said
in his book that in order to annihilate the caste we have to give priorities to inter caste marriages.

A Mother of Brahman Women/ Girls

A young Brahman widow named Kashibai used to work as a cook at the home of Jotirao.s
Brahman friend, Govande. Kashibai was a poor, young, beautiful, honourable
Brahman widow from a good family. A scheming Shastri from the neighbourhood took
advantage of this illiterate widow and as a result, she became pregnant. When all efforts at
abortion failed, she gave birth to a beautiful baby. Since the shastri refused to take up any
responsibility, Kashibai was in a quandary. Fearing that society will not let her live, she killed
the innocent baby by slitting its throat. She threw the body in the well in Govande.s compound,
where it was later discovered. The Police filed a case against Kashibai and she was sentenced for
life imprisonment in the Andamans. The incident took place in 1863. It was the first time a
woman had been sentenced to such severe punishment. Savitribai and Jotirao were very upset
and saddened by this trial and the turn of events. During that time, their own income was very
limited. They were having trouble surviving but their heart was full of compassion and
generosity. They immediately started a shelter home for such Brahman widows in their own
house at 395, Ganj Peth, Pune. Others merely kept discussing this trial, which resonated
throughout the country but Jotirao and Savitribai actually started work for these exploited
widows. This brings out the difference between them and others of their times. They put up
advertisements all over the city and at places of pilgrimage announcing it as a .way to avoid
kalepani (life imprisonment in the Andamans). And thus, the information about the shelter home
spread. By 1884, 35 Brahman widows had come to them from different places. Savitribai would
herself help in the delivery of their children and take care of them. In 1874, another exploited
Kashibai came to them and they adopted her son. They brought up this child and educated him to
become a doctor. Later, he grew up to continue the work started by them.
Savitribai was the inspiration behind the movement started by Narayan Meghaji Lokhande, the
editor of Deenbandhu and the leader of the working classes, to put an end to the tonsure of
Brahman widows by organizing barbers and bringing about their strike. The report of this
historic strike by barbers was published by The Times on 9 April 1890. Women from England
even sent a congratulatory letter to them for the effort. In 1877, Maharashtra was facing a severe
drought. It was not possible for Savitribai and Jotirao, who were always keen to help in the face
of adversity, to stay inactive, and more so, during such times the couple collected funds, going
from village to village. They started the Victoria Balashram. in Dhankawadi with the aid of
friends like Dr Shivappa where one thousand poor and needy were given meals every day.

Love for her Husband

After the death of Jyotirao Phule, Whoever holds the Titve (earthen pot) during the last journey is
considered the successor of the deceased and gets all the property of the deceased. Knowing this,
Jotirao.s nephew came forward and started contesting Yeshwant.s rights to hold the titve.
At this time, Savitribai courageously came forward and held the titve herself. She led the last
journey of Jotirao, walking ahead of the procession and was the one who consigned his body to
the flames. In the history of India, in a thousand years, this was probably the first time a woman
had performed the death rites. On 30 November, his ashes were brought home and were
ceremoniously buried in the place that Jotirao had prepared for his burial. Savitribai erected a
Tulsi vrindavan on that spot. It can be seen even today. Simple stone.padukas (marks of the feet
of great persons) have been erected at its base. This is how Savitribai erected a memorial in the
area behind their house for preserving Jotirao’s memories unto eternity.
Recognition
As said earlier, the British authority had not taken much time to recognise the importance of the
educational work of Jyotiba and Savitribai Phule. They felicitated this couple after four years on
16 November 1852, with a shawl, in Vishrambag Wada. The orthodox, however, expressed
displeasure that a Shudra like Jotirao should be felicitated by giving him a 'mahavastra'
(ceremonial shawl). Savitribai was hailed as the `Mother of Modern Girls' Education. Savitribai
Phule is the first Indian woman, who laid the foundation of education opportunities for women in
India. She broke all the traditional stereotypes of the 19th century to boost a new age of thinking
in British colonial India. She was declared as the best teacher.
On 10 March 1997, Government of Maharashtra instituted an award for female achievers, in
Savitribai‟s memory. Later in 1998, the Government of India released an India Post stamp in her
honour. In 2015, the Government of Maharashtra renamed University of Pune to Savitribai Phule
Pune University in order to pay homage to the first and youngest female teacher of India.