JYOTIRAO PHULE

Group 1
Abha | Ankit | Felix | Soumya

Jotirao Phule
(11 April 1827 28 November 1890)

Lack of education leads to lack of

wisdom,
Which leads to lack of morals,
Which leads to lack of progress,
Which leads to lack of money,
Which leads to the oppression of the
lower classes,
See what state of the society one lack
Quote: http://mahatmaphule.com/
Picture:can
http://mahatmaphule.com/gallery.htm
of education
cause!
What was his background, his major motivation
& what were the key milestones in his life?

The young Phule his campaign after a

humiliating incident

Background and Youth

1827: Born in Maharashtra
caste of Malis

1848 - Humiliating
Incident
Invitation to marriage of
upper caste friend

1834-38: Primary school

But: Heavy insults

1840: Married to Savitribai

Awareness of social

1841-47: Secondary
education Missionary
school

restrictions
Start of his campaign

Start of his Campaign

Fight for education &rights
for women & low castes
1848ff: Found schools for
girls & lower caste children
1860s: Wider programmes
of social reform:
Help widows and orphans
Figure of influence

Phule brought to light Many social

issues and became an influential maker
Phule as an Influential Social Activist
1873: Satyashodak Samaj Society of TruthSeekers
Goal: Spread education & liberate lower castes
1870s: Published powerful tracts, e.g. against the
predominance of Brahmins & slavery of the Shudras
Goal: Attack blind faith and misleading myths
Lobbying the British Government
1876: Nomination to the Municipal Council of Poona
1888: Honoured with the title of' MAHATMA
1890: Death

Picture: http://mahatmaphule.com/gallery.htm

Founding of
Satyashodhak samaj
(Truth seeker society)
24th Sepetember 1873

Roy thought by means of

modern
education
Hindus
would come on par with the
British; Khan hoped the same
instrument
would
bring
Muslims on par with Hindus;
Phule, that it would bring nonBrahmins
on
par
with
Brahmins. The parallels are
striking!

Satyashodhak Samaj
Phule dreamed about `Balistan'. Phule termed this condition as a rule of creator or as a
rule of truth. In the same line Karl Marx expected classless in equal society in Europe
continent.
Aims and Objectives -
Spreading
women

education

Satyashodhak Samaj Ideology

among

Shudras

and

Free Shudras form long sustained slavery

executed by Brahmins
Demolish all kinds of Brahman domination and
exploitation on the basis of religion and all
religious sources of inequality

Human well being in broader perspective

Human happiness

Unity

Faith on equality, freedom and brotherhood

Easy religious principles and rituals

The Satyashodhak samaj was established to institutionalize social education and have a
continuous follow up.

Satyashodhak Samaj - Working

The action formula that arranged in the ideology of Satyashodhak Samaj, which intended to attain its goal had three
important aspects:
First, the expression of opposition
Second, the expression of identity and unity
Third, constrictive action towards the upliftment of the Shudra, Ati-Shudras and women
Efforts and Works of Satyashodhak Samaj
Sole importance to education of lower castes in its early activities
Weekly meetings were conducted
Members toured giving Upadesh or advice
Dislodging the Brahmin priest from the position he held in the religious field
Making arrangements for performing marriage at minimum expenses
Emphasis was also on the principle of the fatherhood of God and brotherhood of Man
Freeing men from the beliefs in astrology, ghosts and demons
The main attack was upon the caste system and idol-worship

Importance in 1870s India

Prevailing Caste System: (Char Varna System)
Inequality in terms of education, jobs and other social aspects
Domination of upper castes especially Brahmins
Negligence of natural rights of human beings especially for Shudras and AtiShudras
Lack of access to Education
Poor condition of Women
Women were believed to be dependent on their husbands
Satyashodhak Samaj had a women division under SavitriBai Phule which had 90 members in first year
Complex Religious Principles and Rituals

In 1870s India, therich

weregettingpoorer"

were

getting

richerand

the

poor

Satyashodhak Samaj movement

becomes a movement because
it aimed at social reconstruction.
Its ideology was certainly
changed oriented, demanding to
attain
goals
of
equality,
humanity and freedom. To seek
those ends upliftment of the
downtrodden was required!

Jyoti rao phules fight for

peasants

PEASANTs Misery
Pre-Colonial Era
Lack of education, limited to upper caste
Occupation segregation, no mobility across occupation
Exploitation by Brahmans, slavery of the lower caste
Poor financial condition, exploitation by money lenders
Poor social, religious status and unequal rights

Colonial ERA
Positives

Negatives

Established law and order,

principle of equality

Low percolation of education

in lower caste

Opportunities and education

and mobility in occupation for
lower caste

Missionary schools and

government colleges admitted
students irrespective of caste

High funds and facilities

provided for higher studies of
upper caste, neglecting the
mass, monopoly of upper
caste in higher offices

Impractical course curriculum

in schools

Employment opportunities in
government offices

British officers were mislead

by Brahmin officers leading to
peasant exploitation

Factors for agricultural crisis in

colonial era

Size of population dependent on agriculture had increased.

Formation of department of forest affected farmers who made

their living on fruits, flowers, wood etc from nearby forest.

Land tax was increase whereas agricultural productivity was on a

decline

Exploitation of farmers by money lenders and Brahmans

Indebtedness leading to transfer of land to money lenders. Jyoti

Rao supported Deccan Agricultural Relief Act,1879 with view to
improve relationship between money lenders and peasants

SOLUTIONs ADVOATED BY
PHULE

Invest in mass education for social upliftment of lower caste people, enabling
lower caste people to be employed in higher offices.

Provide technical education for lower caste who are mostly involved in
farming

Teach modern technology of farming

Build dams, tanks etc. for sufficient water supply to farms

Reduce tax burden on farmers to make agriculture profitable

Savitribai Phule

Mother of Modern Indian Education

The first Indian woman teacher, who placed

education at the very core of the agenda for all
children in India

sought to alter not only the existing child education

practices, but the very pedagogical presuppositions
or worldviews on which those practices rested

Convictions guided her, compassion compelled her,

and character sustained her. The powerful refused to
honour her. But history cannot forget her

Propagated an education system that is universally available;

child sensitive;
intellectually critical and;
socially reforming

Savitribai Phule (1831-97), struggled and suffered with her

revolutionary husband in an equal measure, but remains obscured
due to casteist and sexist negligence. Apart from her identity as
Jotirao Phules wife, she is little known even in academia.
WHY?

Poem by Savitribai Phule

Go, Get Education
Be self-reliant, be industrious
Work, gather wisdom and riches,
All gets lost without knowledge
We become animal without wisdom,
Sit idle no more, go, get education
End misery of the oppressed and forsaken,
Youve got a golden chance to learn
So learn and break the chains of caste
Throw away the Brahmans scriptures fast.

Major Life Events

Birth of SavitriBai

Jan 3, 1831

Marriage with Jyotirao Phule

1840

Education Started

1841

Started school with Sagunabai in Maharwada

1847

First school for girls; Nominated as the first headmistress

1848

Left home with Jyotirao for educating Shudra and ati-Shudras

1849

Phule family was honoured by British government

1852

Infanticide prohibition home was started

1853

Kavya Phule-the first collection of poems was published

1854

Orphanage was started

1863

Opened the well to untouchables

1868

Adopted son of Kashibai, a Brahmin Widows Child

1874

Death of her husband Jotirao Phule

1890

Chairperson of Satya Shodhak Samaj Conference at Saswad

1893

Again famine in Maharashtra. Forced government to start relief work

1896

Plague epidemic in Pune. Died while serving patients

10 March 1897