Tributes Pour in for Savitribai Phule on Her Birth Anniversary

Savitribai, along with her husband Jyotirao Phule, laid foundation for the country’s first girl’s school in Pune.

(Photo courtesy: Twitter/@nityanandraibjp)

India is celebrating the 186th birth anniversary of Savitribai Phule, the first female school teacher in India.

Savitribai was born on 3 January 1831 in Naigaon, Maharashtra. She was married to social reformer Jyotirao Phule at a very young age.

Often considered as the “Goddess of education”, Savitribai began teaching girls almost 200 years ago when education was but a dream for them.

She is one of the first modern feminists in India, who stood up for women's education, their rights and upliftment. And this explains why till date, Savitribai symbolises women empowerment.

Savitribai, along with her husband Jyotirao Phule, laid foundation for the country’s first girl's school in Pune, where she conducted meetings with parents to emphasise on the importance of education for girls.

What’s noteworthy is that she went on to open 17 more schools after that.

Progressively ahead of her times, Savitribai didn’t just champion the cause of female literacy but also made significant contribution towards abolishing discrimination based on caste and gender.

At her school in Pune, Savitribai imparted education to women from all castes.

She also worked towards preventing female infanticide, child marriage and killing of widows.

She died on 10 March 1897, while she was treating the patients during the third global pandemic of the bubonic plague. She was 66 years old.

Twitteratti Pays Tribute To Savitribai Phule