Savitribai Phule

Co-founder of India's first girls' school and a radical advocate for women's rights and caste equality in the 19th century.

Savitribai Phule (1831–1897) was a revolutionary social reformer whose work with her husband Jyotirao Phule created lasting impacts on Indian society. Born into a farmer's family, she became one of India's first female teachers at age 17, co-founding the country's first girls' school in 1848. This bold initiative challenged Brahminical norms that restricted education to upper-caste males. By 1852, they operated three schools educating over 150 girls from marginalized communities.

Phule's activism extended to rescuing and rehabilitating child brides, establishing India's first "Bal Utthan" (child welfare center) in 1854. She famously walked barefoot through Pune's streets to distribute food during the 1860 famine, breaking caste taboos by helping 'untouchables.' Her 1853 poem collection "Kavya Phule" used metaphorical language to critique gender oppression and caste hierarchy.

Historical records at British Museum show her 1868 initiative to train women as midwives, addressing maternal mortality rates. Phule's 1883 "Mahila Seva Mandal" became India's first women's rights organization. Despite her husband's fame, Savitribai's independent writings reveal her own feminist philosophy, asserting that "education is the birthright of every girl, not a privilege."

Her legacy is preserved in the Savitribai Phule Pune University, where her statue stands alongside Jawaharlal Nehru. Modern scholars like Dr. Uma Chakravarti credit her with pioneering India's women's movement. Though overshadowed in her time, her 1897 deathbed essay "A Woman's Vision" remains a manifesto for gender equality.