Jyotirao Govindrao Phule (1827-1890): Revolutionary Thinker and Social Justice Advocate
Jyotiba Phule is the other name of this prominent social reformer and thinker from Maharashtra, India. He was born on April 11, 1827, and actively contributed towards voicing opposition against long prevalent social inequality, majorly casteism and the atrocities against women. His works paved the way for social and educational reforms in India with the ideals of equality, justice, and education to marginalized communities. Here is a concise yet comprehensive look at his life and contributions.
Early Life and Background
Birth and Family:-
Born in 1827 in Pune, Maharashtra, into a family of vegetable vendors from the Mali (gardener) caste, which was lower in the social hierarchy, led Jyotiba Phule to have a deep personal experience concerning the discrimination of castes.
Education:-
He did little schooling but later attended Christian Missionary School where the progressiveness and Western ideologies created an opportunity for challenge over the social mores then.
Personal Life and Caste-based Objections:-
One of the important lessons learned in the life of Phule was when he was degraded by his relatives over going to the marriage ceremony of a Brahmin fellow friend. This episode heightened his consciousness regarding the collective caste-based oppression suffered at the hands of lower sections, and thus his dedication towards social reform further consolidated.
Marriage and the Marriage of Savitribai Phule
Marriage with Savitribai:-
Phule married Savitribai when she was only nine years of age in 1840. He, however, did not belittle her and uplifted her to study and grow up.
Savitribai as a Companion in the Reform Movement:-
Savitribai Phule is India’s first female teacher under the patronage of Jyotiba who became a vital part of his social reform movement aimed at girls’ education and other oppressed sections. Along with Jyotiba, she had become an effective team for social reforms.
Pivotal Contributions to Social Renewal
Founder of Education for the Society’s Marginalized Layers
Girls’ Schools
In 1848, Phule and Savitribai initiated the girls’ school in Pune – a pioneering step as then education for girls, or even girls from lower rungs of the caste order, was unheard of.
Non-Brahmin Education:-
Education was the very foundation of the idea of Phule since he thought that education will be the source of liberation for lower-caste people. He established many schools for Dalits, women, and other downtrodden sections of society.
Training of Women Teachers:-
Since he understood the importance of role models, he facilitated Savitribai, and other women in taking up the profession of teachers, which, in turn, would act as a support network so that the status of the women could be enhanced with the help of education.
Criticism towards the Caste System
He vociferously stood against the oppressive practices of Brahminical class. He wrote that the Brahminical class, through religion, had kept people under its control as a social ladder and made them submissive.
Promotion of Equality:-
Phule envisioned a society without casteism, where everyone can get chance to pursue opportunities with equal ease. His writings antagonized the notion of caste hierarchy with universal human dignity.
“Gulamgiri” or “Slavery,”
that in 1873 had set forth the lower classes in India to that end treated by African races among United States as comparing for intensifying caste-rules as well as begging lower caste people to throw down this yoke also; establishment of Satyashodhak Samaj that was founded in Bombay or western India in March1873.
Founded in 1873:-
Phule established Satyashodhak Samaj as an organization that was struggling for social equality against caste orders. It enabled the subordinated sections to represent themselves to challenge different types of social injustice.
Rationality and Scientific Temper:-
Satyashodhak Samaj promoted rationalism and got rid of the superstitious practices under the caste order. He believed that social changes were necessary only when logical and scientific capabilities are used.
Promotion of Inter-caste Marriages:-
Phule’s movement promoted inter-caste marriages, which he considered a means of breaking caste barriers and forming an integrated society.
Women’s Rights and Gender Equality
Anti-Child Marriages and Widow Remarriage Movement:-
Phule opposed the social evils of child marriages and prohibited widow remarriage. He promoted the rights of widows and encouraged their remarriage.
Widow Homes:-
Phule opened a widows’ and victimised women’s home known as “Balhatya Pratibandhak Gruha” providing the widows and abused victims safety and a platform for the reconstruction of life.
Promoter of Female Literacy:-
Phule always considered female literacy necessary to social reform. An educated woman would be pivotal to social change, by being the mother of the learned and socially conscious generation of the future.
Water and Welfare Reforms
Access to Water Efforts Phule’s work also included equal access to public utilities. He symbolically went so far as to open up a well on his land for Dalits, as the latter were denied water in public wells on the grounds of caste prejudices.
He advocated the cause of the agricultural justice for poor farmer and laborer versus powerful farmers and rulers seeking some improvement in the cultivation in order to avoid their further exploitation by those classes.
Literary Works and Ideologies
Most influential works
“Slavery”:-
In his work Gulamgiri Phule condemned the depressed classs oppression as a type of slavery and equated that state to slavery from there emerged the whole Indian movement against caste.
“Shetkaryacha Asud” (The Cultivator’s Whipcord):-
It was a text that critiqued the exploitation of cultivators by landlords and British colonial rule. It exposed the sufferings of the Indian cultivators and agitated for agrarian reform.
Trust in Rationality and Secularism
Rejection of Rituals and Superstitions:-
Phule rejected rituals and superstitions that have been perpetuated by castes. He was promoting secularism, believing religion should not be a qualification for social status or jobs.
Humanism and Compassion:-
His philosophy was based on humanism, where compassion of all people towards one another and equal treatment for every individual were at its core. Phule’s cause stressed the equal dignity of all people regardless of their caste or gender.
Legacy and Impact
Influence on Future Leaders
Inspiration for Dr. B.R. Ambedkar:-
The ideas of Phule inspired Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the chief architect of India’s Constitution and a Dalit leader. Ambedkar furthered the work of Phule in the struggle for social equality and justice.
Establishment of the Dalit Movement:-
The work of Phule provided a foundation for the Dalit movement, which later emerged as a powerful social movement in India against caste oppression and discrimination.
Educational and Social Institutions
Naming of Educational Institutions:-
Many educational and social institutions in India, especially in Maharashtra, are named after Phule, thus keeping his memory alive and inspiring future generations to fight for social equality.
Phule Jayanti and Recognition:-
Jyotiba Phule Jayanti, which falls on April 11, has become a day to pay tribute to the contributions made by Phule towards social reform. It marks the role he played in creating India’s social justice movements.
Recognition of Savitribai and Jyotiba’s Contributions
Women Empowerment Initiatives:-
Most of the women empowerment initiatives, especially those related to education, have their origin in the work of Phule. The contributions of both Jyotiba and Savitribai Phule are remembered in literacy and social empowerment activities for women.
Conclusion:-
Jyotirao Phule was an inspiring figure whose work against caste and gender discrimination helped set the foundations of revolution against Indian society. Through the relentless efforts he had toward education for marginalized communities and towards women’s rights and equality in caste, Phule became a beacon for social reform in India. He lives on in the ideals of equality, justice, and humanity that have come to shape India’s social policies and movements for its marginalized communities.
Also Read:- Government of India Act, 1919: Important Points and Effects