The mid-nineteenth century saw the social reform movement, which locked its focus on removing and stopping harmful practices such as Child Marriage and Sati. The movement was directed towards empowering women by encouraging them to be educated. Most of these efforts were channelled through organizations such as Brahma Samaj, Prarthana Samaj, and Arya Samaj. However, these social reforms were headed by members of the upper caste; this is where a person like Phule as he belonged to a lower caste and was against the evils caused due to the hegemony asserted by the Brahmins that oppressed those from lower castes, making his efforts extremely integral to the overall narrative.
As the brahmins had a monopoly over education and authority over its distribution, and it was restricted to those from lower castes, one of the primary reasons, according to Phule, kept the lower castes oppressed. Jyotiba Phule truly believed in an egalitarian society where caste identity did not hinder the prospect of one reaping good opportunities.
Early Life of Jyotirao Govindrao Phule:
Jyotirao Govindrao Phule, popularly known as Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, was a 19th-century social reformer whose activism was heavily against the oppression people faced due to the draconian conventions set by the caste system. Jyotiba was born in 1827 to a family of fruit and vegetable farmers (mali) in Poona (currently Pune); they were categorized as Shudras. Jyotiba lost his mother and was raised by his father at a young age. Before his family moved to Poona, they went by the surname Gorhe. However, after moving into Poona and over time, their proficiency in growing and arranging flowers became well known; therefore, they adopted the name “Phule.” Their mastery was even regarded by the Peshwa Baji Rao the second and rewarded them for it.
Phule initially attended school to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic basics. After this, he was withdrawn from school as the convention was to join the family work and contribute towards its sustenance. However, Phule showed signs of academic brilliance, which convinced his father to enroll him back into school, and this was when he attended the local Scottish Mission High School. In 1847, Phule finished his English education. He married Savitribai when he was 13, and she was close to 9 or 10.
Educational Reforms done by Jyotirao Govindrao Phule:
- Phule aimed to use education as a tool to transform the power structure of the time.
- In Pune, Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule co-founded the first indigenously administered school for girls in Vishrambag Wada. The school attracted students from all walks of life, religions, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
- This move outraged the upper caste groups, and the apprehension was enough for them to make a move for Phule’s life. Both he and his wife were ostracised. On the other hand, the pair were warmly welcomed by their friend Usman Sheikh at the latter’s home, where the girls’ school functioned.
- The opposition to Phule’s efforts did not make him stop. He opened more schools not only for women but also for others who were oppressed and marginalized by the upper caste societies, and he began more schools for them between 1948 and 1952.
- However, the schools he established were forced to shut down due to the lack of funds from the colonial government due to the Mutiny of 1857.
- In the 1860s, he became involved with the movement for widow re-marriage movement and even set up a home for children born of illicit relationships.
Other Major Efforts done by Jyotirao Govindrao Phule:
- Phule was the first to consider Indian society in terms of social classes. He claimed that everyone who contributes to society’s wealth is a SHUDRATISHUDRA and that the higher caste has victimized these communities in the guise of untouchability.
- According to Phule, one of the key factors that kept the lower castes subjugated was the brahmins’ monopoly on education and authority over its distribution, which prohibited individuals from lower castes.
- In 1848, Phule read Thomas Paine’s Rights of Man, which instilled in him a strong sense of social justice, and it was the same year he paid a visit to a Christian missionary-run ladies’ school in Ahmadnagar.
- At an early stage, Phule recognized that women and exploited castes were at a disadvantage in Indian society and that education was critical to their emancipation. He taught his wife to read and write in the same year, and the two went on to found Pune’s first indigenously operated girls’ school, where they both taught in order to combat the unjust system and Brahminical hegemony.
Conclusion:
Phule is the product of the oppression he faced and witnessed in his social environment. His actions were termed “radical” in the times he lived. He even opened up the water tank on his land to people of all backgrounds after the demise of his father, who was restricting the untouchables from using it. Phule was also a merchant and published author and also served in the capacity of a municipal council member. Gulamgiri (Slavery), which formed the foundation for Satyashodhak Samaj, and Shetkaryacha Asud (Cultivator’s Whipcord) are two of his best-known works. Satyashodak Samaj’s formation was to create a collective of people from lower castes deemed untouchables and marginalized communities to create a path of their own that was not commanded by the whims and fancies of Brahminical ideologies. He was appointed commissioner of the Poona municipality in 1883 and stayed there until his death.