Who Was Savitribai Phule? The Pioneer of Women’s Education in India
- The Historic Beginning of Girls’ Education at Bhide Wada in 1848
- Social Resistance and Courage: Facing Orthodoxy in 19th-Century India
- Partnership in Reform: The Work of Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule
- Schools for the Marginalised: Education for Dalits and Women
- Support from Allies: The Role of Fatima Sheikh and Progressive Networks
- Recognition and Impact: Early Acknowledgment of Savitribai’s Educational Work
- Service During the Plague and Her Martyrdom in 1897
Savitribai Phule’s Legacy in Modern India
Why Savitribai Phule’s Birth Anniversary or Death Anniversary Should Be Teachers’ Day
A tribute to Savitribai Phule, India’s first female teacher and pioneer of women’s education, on the 129th anniversary of her martyrdom. Explore her revolutionary role in educating girls and marginalized communities alongside Jyotirao Phule.
Revolutionary Salute to Savitribai Phule: India's First Female Teacher
Remembering Her Legacy on the 129th Anniversary of Her Martyrdom
Revolutionary greetings on March 10, the 129th death anniversary of Savitribai Phule, India’s first female teacher.
Savitribai lived a life of 67 years. She passed away on March 10, 1897, due to the plague. Her husband, Jyotiba Phule, had passed away seven years earlier on November 28, 1890, at the age of 62. At that time, the 60-year-old Savitribai showed immense courage. When relatives, driven by greed for property, refused to allow their adopted son, Dr Yashwant, to perform the last rites, Savitribai stepped forward and lit the funeral pyre herself. Following this, she dedicated her entire existence to completing the various works for the upliftment of women and the marginalised (Shudras) that she and Jyotiba had started.
Nearly 175 years ago, a woman from an ordinary household developed such energy through the encouragement of Mahatma Phule. On International Women's Day, I believe there can be no greater example for every woman in our country.
Considering the status of women in contemporary India, Savitribai Phule took the historic decision to start the first school for girls. For the first time in our country, education was initiated for the marginalised. After the end of the Peshwa rule, the mindset of the people was still gripped by the Manusmriti, which dictated that "Women have no right to Vedic rituals; marriage is their only sacrament." It claimed women didn't need a Guru, as serving the husband was their Gurukul, and household chores were their holy rituals (Homa-Havan). Because these orders had closed the doors of education for thousands of years, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule actively rebelled against these norms 180 years ago. They did this in Pune, the very stronghold of the orthodox. This was a massive social revolution within Hinduism.
The orthodox pelted Savitribai with mud, cow dung, and stones every day as she walked to her school. She would reach the school, change her soiled clothes, and settle down to teach. This gives us an insight into the mettle she was made of. Today, people quit schools over a small taunt; yet, 175 years ago, she calmly endured physical abuse to fulfill her mission of teaching. We have grown up hearing the myth of Savitri bringing her husband back from death, a story on which Sri Aurobindo wrote an epic. However, this modern Savitribai Phule is the one who truly initiated education for the oppressed with unmatched loyalty.
If the current ruling party believes that appointing a tribal woman as the President is merely a masterstroke of their political wisdom, they are mistaken. Their parent organisation once rejected the Indian Constitution. When Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar declared the Constitution on November 26, 1949, the then RSS chief Golwalkar claimed it had nothing "Indian" about it and questioned the need for it when the Laws of Manu existed. Even today, some officials glorify the Manusmriti, which confines women to the four walls of the house. Due to parliamentary political compulsions, the BJP had to engage in the hypocrisy of appointing Draupadi Murmu as President for vote-bank politics.
Savitribai Phule violated those very regressive norms 175 years ago. By enduring physical and mental torture from the Hindutvavadis of her time, she ensured that education reached the marginalised. It is because of her work that women today can work shoulder-to-shoulder with men in every field, including the Presidency. Therefore, we offer humble greetings to Savitribai Phule, the liberator of women and the marginalised, on her 129th death anniversary.
With all due respect to our second President, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, we believe that the true "Teachers' Day" should be January 3 or March 10. Savitribai Phule started the first schools in Indian history under impossible circumstances. Since the current government is busy renaming cities and schemes, and since the current President—being a tribal woman—surely knows how she reached this position, we request her to declare January 3 or March 10 as Teachers' Day. The work of the Phule couple, from caste eradication to fighting rotten traditions, is still not fully known to all Indians. In 1882, Mahatma Phule even gave a detailed presentation to the Hunter Commission regarding education.
Savitribai was born on January 3, 1831, in Naigaon, Satara. In 2031, we will celebrate her bicentenary. She was married to Jyotiba at age nine. After completing her teacher training between 1845–47, she started the first girls' school at Bhide Wada in Pune on January 1, 1848, 99 years before India's independence. Her first six students included Annapurna Joshi, Sumati Mokashi, Durga Deshmukh, Madhavi Thatte, Sonu Pawar, and Jani Kardile.
Five months later, Jyotiba established a second school in Maharwada (a Dalit locality) on May 15, 1848. Together with colleagues, they formed the "Native Female Schools" society. Facing pressure from the orthodox, Jyotiba’s father, Govindrao, evicted them from his home in 1849. Savitribai’s own parents felt the same. It was Jyotiba’s Muslim friend, Usman Sheikh, who gave them shelter and allowed them to start a school for adults in his home. His sister, Fatima Sheikh, began working alongside Savitribai. Between 1849 50, they opened schools in Pune, Satara, and Ahmednagar.
In 1852, the British government honoured her work. Major Candy chaired a ceremony where Savitribai was given the "Ideal Teacher" award. The Poona Observer noted on May 29, 1852, that the number of girls in Savitribai’s schools was ten times higher than in government schools because the quality of education was superior.
Savitribai lived for 66 years and two months, giving every moment to public service. After Jyotiba’s death in 1890, her son Yashwant became a military doctor. When the plague broke out, Savitribai worked tirelessly in relief efforts. She even carried a sick young man on her back to get him treatment. In doing so, she contracted the disease and passed away on March 10, 1897.
We bow a thousand times to the memory of Savitribai Phule—a woman who transcended class and caste. She continued Jyotiba’s work, presiding over the Satyashodhak Parishad in 1893 at Saswad. At a time when women were forbidden from leaving the house, she presided over a public conference—perhaps a first for any woman. This supreme example of women's liberation happened 133 years ago.
While Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar started women's education in Bengal around 1856–57, Savitribai Phule remains the true pioneer. On this 129th death anniversary, we humbly pray to President Droupadi Murmu to declare January 3 or March 10 as National Teachers' Day.
— Dr Suresh Khairnar,
March 10, 2026, Nagpur.
