E.Rajesh Pathak
Born on 3rd January 1831 and married to a great social revolutionary, Jyotiba Phule, Savitribai Phulay was the first Indian lady of British India to initiate different activities for social emancipation of women in Maharashtra. Among the most pioneering works she did with her husband was the opening of the school in Pune for the low-caste girls in 1848. And, ignoring the rituals then strictly observed in the traditional Indian society, she herself fulfilled the role of a lady teacher for them [girls]. In all they notably opened 18 such schools.
With the active cooperation of Vishnu Shastri Bapat, a renowned personality of contemporary Maharashtra, Jyotiba launched first ever movement for widow-remarriage. And, when on 25th July 1856 the remarriage of widow was made legal Phulay couple toured from place to place to generate public support in its favor. Likewise, they [Savitribai and Jyotiba] greatly condemned the infanticide, and to discourage it they ran a child-care home in their own house. They even adopted the son of a Brahmin widow and named him Yashwant. Not only this, taking unprecedentedly bold step, they even exhorted the barbers to boycott tonsuring the heads of widows, the ill-practice imposed then especially on the Brahmin women.
Making the use of the local custom of Haldi-kumkum [religious celebration for the women-folk to mark their happy and long married life] in the interest of social-harmony, Savitribai organized a function of “Get-together” for the women folk to celebrate it. Celebrated so far only by the upper-caste women, in the function a big number of women of all kinds of lower castes were also invited for the first time. In this revolutionary event mother of “Sarvjanik kaka” [Ganesh Vasudev Joshi] worked shoulder to shoulder with her. In protest against the restriction on the untouchables to consume water from the public water-booth, they made the arrangement of water for them through the water tank of their own house.
Many of their works became the glorious precedents for impending social revolution. Taking inspiration from Phulays, many of the friends and other enlightened personalities of upper-castes like Sakharam Yashwant Pranjpay, Sadashiv Govind Sathe, Sadashiv Gowanday, to name the few, extended their contribution to their works. It was the Brahmins who provided the place for the school to be run by him in Budhwar Peth in Pune. Not only this, but Brahmins also took up the responsibility of teaching the students there.
From child- marriage to sati-system, abortion, prostitution, obscene dance of women, discrimination against women regarding inheritance wherever they noticed exploitation they acted unflinchingly upon its rectification. Their mission of social-emancipation continued to go on for forty years. After Jyotiba’s demise, on the persuasion of Bhai Parmanand-one of the founders of Hindu Mahasabha- Baroda king made the arrangement from the Baroda Govt. to provide monetary-relief to Savitribai and son,Yashwant. When grown up Yashwant became a doctor. They opened a hospital in Pune in 1897 to treat needy and poor. Savitribai herself would attend each patient. So deeply she engaged in serving them that one day she herself turned patient, and ultimately dying on 10th March 1897.
