Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Birth Anniversary:
The Prime Minister has paid tribute to the great social reformer, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule on his birth anniversary
- Jyotirao Phule was born on 11th April 1827 in Maharashtra, India. He belonged to the Mali caste of gardeners and vegetable farmers.
- Phule was greatly influenced by Thomas Paine’s book ‘The Rights of Man’, which led him to advocate for liberty, egalitarianism, and socialism.
- He believed in the enlightenment of women and lower-caste members as the only solution to combat social evils.
- He was a prolific writer, and his major publications include ‘Tritiya Ratna,’ ‘Gulamgiri,’ and ‘Shetkarayacha Aasud.’
- He established the Satyashodhak Samaj in 1873, which meant ‘Seekers of Truth’ and aimed to attain equal social and economic benefits for lower castes in Maharashtra.
- In 1848, Phule and his wife Savitribai opened the first indigenously run school for girls in Pune, where they both taught.
- He established an ashram for young widows and became an advocate for the idea of Widow Remarriage. He worked towards abolishing untouchability and the caste system in Maharashtra.
- He passed away on 28th November 1890, and his memorial is built in Phule Wada, Pune, Maharashtra.
- It is believed that he was the first person to use the term ‘Dalit’ for the depiction of oppressed masses often placed outside the ‘varna system’
