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What is the News?
Maharashtra Governor was criticized for allegedly mocking 19th-century social reformers Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule for “getting married at a young age”.
Who was Mahatma Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule?
Mahatma Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule were an extraordinary couple in the social and educational history of India. They spearheaded path-breaking work towards female education and towards ending caste- and gender-based discrimination.
In 1840, at a time when child marriages were common, Savitri at the age of ten was married to Jyotirao, who was thirteen years old at the time. The couple later in life strove to oppose child marriage and also organised widow remarriages.
What was the contribution of Mahatma Jyotirao?
Jyotirao Phule was influenced by Thomas Paine’s book titled The Rights of Man and believed that the only solution to combat the social evils was the enlightenment of women and members of the lower castes.
He was bestowed with the title of Mahatma in 1888 by a Maharashtrian social activist Vithalrao Krishnaji Vandekar.
What was the contribution of Savitribai Phule?
What was the legacy of Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule?
1848: Phules started a school for girls called Shudras and Ati-Shudras in Poona.
1850s: They initiated two educational trusts—the Native Female School, Pune and The Society for Promoting the Education of Mahars, Mangs and Etceteras—which came to have many schools under them
1853: They opened a care centre for pregnant widows to have safe deliveries and to end the practice of infanticide owing to social norms. For instance, they started Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha (Home for the Prevention of Infanticide) in their own house.
1873: Satyashodhak Samaj (The Truth-Seeker’s Society) was established in 1873 by Jyotirao-Savitribai and other like-minded people.
– It was founded with a purpose to give education to the lower castes, scheduled caste, scheduled tribes and made them aware of the exploiting tradition of society.
– It also advocated for social changes that went against prevalent traditions, including economic weddings, inter-caste marriages, eradication of child marriages, and widow remarriage.
Source: This post is based on the article “Explained: The legacy of Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule” published in Indian Express on 9th Mar 2022.
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