135th Death Anniversary of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule: Pioneer of Social Reform and Education in 19th Century India

Mahatma Jyotirao Phule was honored on his 135th death anniversary for his pioneering work in social reform and education in India. 

Leaders across India recently honored Mahatma Jyotirao Phule on his 135th death anniversary, recognizing his contributions to social reform and equality. Mahatma Jyotirao Phule, born in 1827 in Satara, Maharashtra, co-founded India’s first girls’ school in Pune in 1848 despite fierce opposition. 

He launched the Satyashodhak Samaj in 1873 to promote truth seeking and uplift farmers, women, and lower castes, authoring works like ‘Gulamgiri’ against oppression.

Early Life and Education

Mahatma Jyotirao Phule was born on April 11, 1827, in Pune, Maharashtra, into the Mali caste, classified as ‘Shudras’ in the traditional Varna system. His family, originally named Gorhe, earned the surname ‘Phule’ through their florist business. Despite economic stability, the family faced social barriers due to their caste status.

At the Scottish Mission High School, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule encountered ideas that would shape his worldview. He studied the works of Thomas Paine, particularly “The Rights of Man,” which articulated principles of human equality and natural rights. Paine’s critique of hereditary aristocracy and religious tyranny resonated with young  Mahatma Phule, who began mapping these concepts onto the Indian caste system.

Educational Reforms: Breaking the Knowledge Monopoly

Mahatma Jyotirao Phule identified education as the primary tool of both oppression and liberation. He stated that without education, wisdom was lost; without wisdom, morals were lost; and this cascade led to the ruin of the Shudras. To break the Brahmanical monopoly over knowledge, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule initiated educational reforms.

In August 1848, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and his wife Savitribai Phule opened India’s first school for girls at Bhidewada in Pune. This achievement faced violent opposition. Savitribai Phule, who served as the school’s headmistress and India’s first female teacher, endured daily harassment. 

The social pressure intensified and they were forced to leave their ancestral home in 1849. They found refuge with Usman Sheikh, Jyotirao’s childhood friend. Usman’s sister, Fatima Sheikh, joined the educational mission, becoming India’s first Muslim woman teacher. This collaboration between Savitribai and Fatima represented a pioneering instance of cross-community unity in social reform.

Mahatma Jyotirao Phule’s educational mission expanded beyond female education. In 1852, he established a school for children of the Mahar and Mang castes, considered untouchables (Ati-Shudras). By providing education to Ati-Shudras, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule challenged the concept of ritual pollution. He also established night schools for adult laborers and workers, ensuring that economic necessity did not prevent access to education.

Satyashodhak Samaj: Institutionalizing the Revolution

On September 24, 1873, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule founded the Satyashodhak Samaj (Society of Seekers of Truth) in Pune. This organization became the institutional vehicle for his ideology, with the goal of liberating Shudras and Ati-Shudras from what Mahatma Jyotirao Phule termed the ‘slavery of the Brahmins and their scriptures’.

The Satyashodhak Samaj was inclusive in its membership. It was open to all castes and religions, provided they subscribed to the principles of equality and truth. The organization’s motto declared that the Creator of the World is witness to all and no mediator is needed to reach Him. This rejected the traditional role of priests who were predominantly Brahmins as necessary intermediaries between individuals and the divine.

One of the Samaj’s practical innovations was the introduction of Satyashodhak marriages. These ceremonies allowed couples to exchange garlands and vows themselves, without Brahmin priests. 

Literary Contributions and Historical Revisionism

Mahatma Jyotirao Phule was an activist, thinker, and writer. His most influential work, “Gulamgiri” (Slavery), published in 1873, analyzed the caste system. He dedicated this book to the people of the United States who had fought to abolish slavery during the American Civil War, thereby internationalizing the Dalit struggle.

In “Gulamgiri,” Mahatma Jyotirao Phule utilized the Aryan Invasion Theory as a tool for caste emancipation. He argued that Brahmins were not indigenous to India but Aryan invaders who conquered the original inhabitants and created the caste system to enslave them. By depicting caste not as divine ordinance but as political invention by foreign conquerors, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule delegitimized the hierarchical structure.

Mahatma Jyotirao Phule also authored “Shetkaryacha Asud” (The Cultivator’s Whipcord) in 1881, analyzing the exploitation of farmers through three mechanisms: the bureaucracy dominated by Brahmins, the priesthood extracting resources through rituals, and the British colonial state’s revenue systems. His solutions included irrigation infrastructure development, scientific agricultural education, cattle breed improvement, and breaking the Brahmin bureaucratic monopoly through proportional representation.

Social Interventions Beyond the Classroom

Mahatma Jyotirao Phule’s philosophy extended into practical social interventions. In 1868, he challenged caste-based notions of purity and pollution by opening the water tank in his house to untouchables, declaring that natural resources belonged to all humans equally.

His most compassionate intervention was the establishment of the Home for the Prevention of Infanticide in 1863. Moved by the case of a Brahmin widow named Kashibai who killed her newborn out of fear of social stigma and was sentenced to life imprisonment, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai opened their home to pregnant widows.

They placed advertisements inviting women to deliver babies in safety and secrecy, with no questions asked. Additionally, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule advocated for widow remarriage, established shelters for widows, and organized a strike of barbers to refuse shaving the heads of widows, thereby attacking the ritualistic humiliation of women.

Recognition and Legacy

In 1888, a public meeting in Bombay formally conferred upon Jyotirao Phule the title of ‘Mahatma’ (Great Soul) in recognition of his service to the downtrodden. He passed away on November 28, 1890, but his influence extended far beyond his lifetime.

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, formally recognized Mahatma Jyotirao Phule as one of his three gurus (along with Buddha and Kabir). Dr. Ambedkar dedicated his work “Who Were the Shudras?” to Mahatma Jyotirao Phule’s memory, acknowledging him as the “leader who preached the gospel that for India, social democracy was more vital than independence from the foreign rule”.  

Conclusion

Mahatma Jyotirao Phule was a social reformer and an architect of a counter-culture in modern India. By establishing India’s first girls’ school, opening education to the most marginalized communities, founding the Satyashodhak Samaj, and producing critiques of oppression, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule laid the groundwork for India’s social democracy.

His philosophy emphasized that true spirituality could not be confined within caste boundaries, that all humans possessed inherent dignity and rights, and that education was the key to liberation. 

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FAQs on Mahatma Jyotirao Phule

1. When did Mahatma Jyotirao Phule die?

Ans. November 28, 1890.

2. Who opened India’s first girls’ school?

Ans. Mahatma Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule.

3. When was the first girls’ school in India established?

Ans. August 1848 in Pune.

4. What does Satyashodhak Samaj mean?

Ans. Society of Seekers of Truth.

5. What is Mahatma Jyotirao Phule’s most famous book?

Ans. Gulamgiri (Slavery), published in 1873.