A trailblazing figure in field of women’s education in
India, Savitribai Phule is the subject of Tuesday’s (Jan 03, 2017) Google
Doodle on the occasion of her 186th birthday.
·
Born in Naigaon in Maharashtra on January 3, 1831, Phule
is widely regarded as one of India’s first generation modern feminists for her
significant contributions in ensuring equal education opportunities under the
British raj.
·
She became the first female teacher in India in 1848 and
opened a school for girls along with her husband, social reformer Jyotirao
Phule. The two also worked against discrimination based on caste-based
identity, something vehemently opposed by the orthodox sections of society in
Pune.
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She went on to establish a shelter for widows in 1854
which she further built on in 1864 to also accommodate destitute women and
child brides cast aside by their families.
·
Phule also played a pivotal role in directing the work of
the Satyashodhak Samaj, formed by her husband with the objective to achieve
equal rights for the marginalised lower castes. She took over the reins of the
organisation after Jyotirao’s death in 1890.
·
Savitribai opened a clinic in 1897 for victims of the
bubonic plague that spread across Maharashtra just before the turn of the
century.
·
In her honour, University of Pune was renamed Savitribai
Phule University in 2014.
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