Last updated on March 11th, 2023 at 02:18 pm
Today is the birthday of India’s first female teacher Savitri Bai Phule. It is a sign of the caste hatred of this country that by linking this great soul to only a particular class, his achievements and his contribution to education are not given importance. I do not know that the person in whose name Teacher’s Day is celebrated has any personal contribution to the field of education. But when it comes to the contribution of women in the development of education in India, only the most respected name Savitri Bai Phule will come to the fore. Let us know about this great teacher.
Savitri Bai Phule
Biography of Savitri Bai Phule
Savitri Bai Phule was the first female teacher of India, she was born on 03 January 1831 at Naigaon in the Satara district of Maharashtra. Her parents’ name was Lakshmi and Khandoji Naivese. At the age of just 9 years (1840) happened with Jyotiba Phule (13 years). At the time of marriage, Savitri Bai was completely illiterate and Jyotiba studied in class three. She also founded the first girls’ school in India as well as the first farmer’s school.
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When father threw the book from Savitri Bai’s hand
It is a matter of that time when one day an English book was taken by Savitri Bai in her hand. When the father saw this, he threw the book from her hand and said that getting an education in this country is the right of only upper caste people, it is a sin for Dalits and women. This incident shook Savitri Bai to the core, she vowed that she would definitely get an education now and brought the book back.
Establishment of the first girls’ school
Savitri Bai Phule established the first girls’ school in India and became the first principal of that school. She was also the founder of the first farmer school in India. The credit for teaching Savitri Bai Phule goes to her social reformer husband Jyotiba Rao Phule. Jyotiba Phule who later came to be known as Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Le played an important role in educating women and the downtrodden.
Contribution of Savitri Bai Phule as a social reformer
The life of Savitri Bai Phule was dedicated to society. He dedicated her life to a mission. She made widow remarriage, the abolition of untouchability, women’s emancipation, and educating Dalit women the aim of his life. In she was also successful to a great extent. She is also famous as a poetess and she is also known as Adikaviyatri of Marathi.
When people threw garbage at Savitri
The higher caste people of the society did not like the reading and reading of Savitri Bai Phule. When Savitri went to school, these upper-caste people used to throw stones at her. They used to throw dirt and rubbish on them. When Savitri Bai opened the school for the girl child, it was an open challenge to the upper caste people and also a challenge to the conservatives who thought that it was a sin for women to get an education.
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Savitri Bai Phule did not work for any one caste or religion. She is the great heroine of the whole of India. When Savitri Bai used to go to school to teach girls, people used to throw mud, dung, feces, dirt, etc. on her. Seeing this behavior of the people, Savitri Bai always kept an extra sari in her bag. After reaching the school, she used to remove the dirty saree and put on a clean saree but she did not leave her work because of her fear of the people.http://www.histortstudy.in
Savitri Bai Phule started school with nine students
Savitri Bai Phule, along with her husband Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, established a school for women in Pune on 3 January 1848 with only nine girl students of different castes. Not only this, but in the next year, the Phule couple established five more schools. Pleased with her work, the government of that time honored her.
You and I can only imagine how much suffering and atrocities Savitri Bai Phule must have had to endure when in 1848 a female principal (Savitri Bai Phule) would have run a girls’ school. It was impossible for girls to take an education in Indian society at that time but Savitri Bai made it possible. A heartfelt salute to such a great soul.
Death of Savitri Bai Phule In 1897 AD, a dangerous epidemic (plague) spread in Maharashtra in which thousands of people lost their lives. Savitri Bai Phule, who was engaged in serving the people affected by the plague, also got infected, due to which Savitri Bai Phule died on 10 March 1897.
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When Savitri Bai Phule saved the life of a Brahmin girl
The Brahmins had always opposed Savitri Bai Phule. He had saved the life of a girl from the same Brahmin society. A widowed Brahmin woman Kashibai was on her way to commit suicide. Kashibai was a widowed woman but when she became pregnant, she wanted to give her life for fear of localization. But Savitri Bai Phule prevented her from committing suicide and gave her shelter in her house. Gave birth to her child in her home. Her child was named Yashwant and made him his adopted son (as she had no children of her own). This is what Yashwant studied further and became a doctor. So was Savitri Bai Phule who worked for all classes and people.https://studyguru.org.in