Who is jyothi rao pule

He and his wife Savitrirao Phule battled for the education of girl students and opened a school in He wrote 16 books that contributed to the social awakening of the dowtrodden masses who were subject to the atrocities of the upper castes and the British administrators at that time. Jyotirao Phule was a propagator of rational thinking and encouraged education of Dalits and the girl child. The school started by him along with his wife Savitrirao initited a new wave of social reforms during the colonial times.

The Satyashodhak Samaj dedicated towards the removal of socio-economic backwardness of Dalits was even supported by Chhatrapati Shahu, the Maratha ruler of Kolhapur state. Click here to join our channel indianexpress and stay updated with the latest headlines.

Australia beat Pakistan to reach the finals Explained: Who is Devasahayam, the first Indian layman to be conferred sainthood? As the country remembers Phule on his rd birth anniversary, here are some of the lesser-known facts about the social reformer. Phule was a critic of the caste system as under this arrangement the place of the people was determined on the basis of the social group they were born in.

He always raised his voice against the discrimination suffered by members of the lower castes. He was born in a family of the Mali caste within the Shudra social class. His family cultivated and sold vegetables. The social activist went to a high school run by Scottish Christian missionaries at Pune and his thoughts were said to be influenced by the American struggles for independence and against slavery. To implement it, he advocated making primary education compulsory in villages.

He also asked for special incentives to get more lower-caste people in high schools and colleges. On 24 September , Phule formed Satyashodhak Samaj to focus on rights of depressed groups such women, the Shudra , and the Dalit. Through this the samaj he opposed idolatry and denounced the caste system. Satyashodhak Samaj campaigned for the spread of rational thinking and rejected the need for priests. Phule established Satyashodhak Samaj with the ideals of human well-being, happiness, unity, equality, and easy religious principles and rituals.

A Pune-based newspaper, Deenbandhu , provided the voice for the views of the Samaj. The membership of the samaj included Muslims , Brahmans , and government officials. However,non-Brahman castes dominated. Apart from his role as a social activist, Phule was a businessman too. In he styled himself as a merchant, cultivator and municipal contractor.

For period of time, he worked as a contractor for the government and supplied building materials required for the construction of a dam on the Mula-Mutha river near Pune in the s. He also received contracts to provide labour for the construction of the Katraj Tunnel and the Yerawda Jail near Pune. Phule was appointed commissioner municipal council member to the then Poona municipality in and served in this unelected position until Phule was also a merchant, author as well as a municipal council member.

In , one of his businesses was to supply metal-casting equipment to construction sites. He was appointed commissioner to the Poona municipality and served in the position until He was also a reputed author. In , Phule suffered a stroke which left him paralysed. Phule is credited with introducing the Marathi word dalit meaning broken, crushed to describe those outside the varna system. In the s, the term was made popular by the Dalit Panthers.

Ambedkar not only acknowledged Phule as one of his three gurus but also drew inspiration from him. In , at a hearing of the education commission, Phule demanded compulsory primary education in villages and incentives for the socially underprivileged in schools and colleges.

After many years of marriage, when Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai did not have children. In , the couple adopted the son of a widow who came to their infanticide prevention centre for delivery. He started the Satyashodhak marriage system which involved marriage rituals and alternative verses that contained egalitarian content.

The Bombay HC later recognised this system. Follow Us On Twitter , Facebook. Sign in Join. Sign in. Log into your account. Forgot your password? Privacy Policy.