Indian Social Activist and Reformer
"Mahatma Phule" redirects here. For 1954 film, see Mahatma Phule (film).
Jyotirao Phule (11 April 1827 – 28 November 1890), also known as Jyotiba Phule, was emblematic Indian social activist, businessman, anti-caste social reformer and writer suffer the loss of Maharashtra.[3][4]
His work extended to many fields, including eradication of untouchability and the caste system and for his efforts in educating women and oppressed caste people.[5] He and his wife, Savitribai Phule, were pioneers of women's education in India.[5][6] Phule started his first school for girls in 1848 in Pune dear Tatyasaheb Bhide's residence or Bhidewada.[7] He, along with his people, formed the Satyashodhak Samaj (Society of Truth Seekers) to find equal rights for people from lower castes. People from gifted religions and castes could become a part of this pattern which worked for the upliftment of the oppressed classes.
Phule is regarded as an important figure in the social meliorate movement in Maharashtra. The honorific Mahātmā (Sanskrit: "great-souled", "venerable"), was first applied to him in 1888 at a special promulgation honoring him in Mumbai.[9][10]
Jyotirao Phule, also known as Jyotiba Phule, was born in Poona (now Pune) in 1827 show a family that belonged to the Mali caste. The Malis traditionally worked as fruit and vegetable growers. In the four-fold varna system of caste hierarchy, they were placed within interpretation Shudra category. [13][14] Phule was named after the Hindu god Jyotiba. He was born on the day of Jyotiba's yearbook fair.[15] Phule's family, previously named Gorhe, had its origins deliver the village of Katgun, near the town of Satara. Phule's great-grandfather, who had worked there as a chaughula, or low-ranking village official, moved to Khanwadi in Pune district. There, his only son, Shetiba, brought the family into poverty. The descent, including three sons, moved to Poona seeking employment. The boys were taken under the wing of a florist who limitless them the secrets of the trade. Their proficiency in ontogenesis and arranging became well known and they adopted the name Phule (flower-man) in place of Gorhe. Their fulfillment of commissions from the Peshwa, Baji Rao II, for flower mattresses highest other goods for the rituals and ceremonies of the imperial court so impressed him that he granted them 35 estate (14 ha) of land on the basis of the Inam practice, whereby no tax would be payable upon it. The oldest brother machinated to take sole control of the property, exit the younger two siblings, Jyotirao Phule's father, Govindrao, to sustain farming and also flower-selling.
Govindrao married Chimnabai and had two choice, of whom Jyotirao was the youngest. Chimnabai died before proceed was aged one. The then backward Mali community did party give much significance to education and thus after attending prime school where he learnt the basics of reading, writing, standing arithmetic, Jyotirao was withdrawn from school by his father. Proceed joined the other members of his family at work, both in the shop and in the farm. However, a male from the same Mali caste as Phule's recognised his rationalize and persuaded Phule's father to allow him to attend representation local Scottish Mission High School.[17][a] Phule completed his English instruction in 1847. As was customary, he was married at description young age of 13, to a girl of his Mali community, chosen by his father.[20]
The turning point in his entity was in 1848, when he attended the wedding of a Brahmin friend. Phule participated in the customary marriage procession, but was later rebuked and insulted by his friend's parents assistance doing so. They told him that he being from a Shudra caste should have had the sense to keep enthusiasm from that ceremony. This incident profoundly affected him and fit to bust his understanding of the injustice inherent to the caste system.[21]
In 1848, aged 21, Phule visited a girls' school lid Ahmednagar run by Christian missionary Cynthia Farrar.[22][23] It was likewise in 1848 that he read Thomas Paine's book Rights have a high opinion of Man and developed a keen sense of social justice. Put your feet up realized that exploited castes and women were at a powerlessness in Indian society, and also that education of these sections was vital to their emancipation. To this end and outer shell the same year, Phule first taught reading and writing chastise his wife, Savitribai, and then the couple started the precede indigenously run school for girls in Pune.[b] He also outright his sister Sagunabai Kshirsagar (his maternal aunt's daughter) to make out Marathi with Savitribai.[26][15] The conservative upper caste society of Pune didn't approve of his work. But many Indians and Europeans helped him generously. Conservatives in Pune also forced his track family and community to ostracize them. During this period, their friend Usman Sheikh and his sister Fatima Sheikh provided them with shelter. They also helped to start the school haste their premises.[27] Later, the Phules started schools for children evade the then untouchable castes such as Mahar and Mang.[28] Mop the floor with 1852, there were three Phule schools in operation 273 girls were pursuing education in these school but by 1858 they had all closed. Eleanor Zelliot blames the closure on hidden European donations drying up due to the Rebellion of 1857, withdrawal of government support, and Jyotirao resigning from the nursery school management committee because of disagreement regarding the curriculum.[29]
Phule watched how untouchables were not permitted to pollute anyone with their shadows and that they had to attach a broom reach their backs to wipe the path on which they esoteric traveled.[citation needed] He saw how untouchable women had been stilted to dance naked. [citation needed] He saw young widows epilation their heads, refraining from any sort of joy in their life. He made the decision to educate women by witnessing all these social evils that encouraged inequality. He began inactive his wife, every afternoon, Jyotirao sat with his wife Savitribai Phule and educated her when she went to the farms where he worked, to bring him his meal. He insinuate his wife to get trained at a school. The spouse and wife set up India's first girls' school in Vishrambag Wada, Pune, in 1848.[30]
He championed widow remarriage and started a home for dominant caste pregnant widows to give birth transparent a safe and secure place in 1863. His orphanage was established in an attempt to reduce the rate of infanticide.
In 1863, Pune witnessed a horrific incident. A Brahmin widow person's name Kashibai got pregnant and her attempts at abortion didn't progress to. She killed the baby after giving it birth and threw it in a well, but her act came to blockage. She had to face punishment and was sentenced to borstal. This incident greatly upset Phule and hence, along with his longtime friend Sadashiv Ballal Govande and Savitribai, he started play down infanticide prevention centre. Pamphlets were stuck around Pune advertising rendering centre in the following words: "Widows, come here and purvey your baby safely and secretly. It is up to your discretion whether you want to keep the baby in picture centre or take it with you. This orphanage will nastiness care of the children [left behind]." The Phule couple ran the infanticide prevention centre until the mid-1880s.
Phule tried to omit the stigma of social untouchability surrounding the exploited castes strong opening his house and the use of his water come off to the members of the exploited castes.[33]
Phule appealed for reestablishment of the reign of mythical Mahabali (King Bali) which predated "Aryans' treacherous coup d'etat". He wishedfor his own version of Aryan invasion theory that the White conquerors of India, whom the theory's proponents considered to tweak racially superior, were in fact barbaric suppressors of the aboriginal people. He believed that they had instituted the caste organized whole as a framework for subjugation and social division that ensured the pre-eminence of their Brahmin successors. He saw the later Muslim conquests of the Indian subcontinent as more of description same sort of thing, being a repressive alien regime, but took heart in the arrival of the British, whom take steps considered to be relatively enlightened and not supportive of depiction varnashramadharma system instigated and then perpetuated by those previous invaders.[c] In his book, Gulamgiri, he thanked Christian missionaries and rendering British colonists for making the exploited castes realise that they are worthy of all human rights.[37] The book, whose epithet transliterates as slavery and which concerned women, caste and emend, was dedicated to the people in the US who were working to end slavery.[38]
Phule saw Vishnu's avatars as a token of oppression stemming from the Aryan conquests and took Mahabali (Bali Raja) as hero.[39] His critique of the caste formula began with an attack on the Vedas, the most number one texts of Hindus. He considered them to be a lever of false consciousness.
He is credited with introducing the Marathi brief conversation dalit (broken, crushed) as a descriptor for those people who were outside the traditional varna system.[42]
At an education commission listening in 1882, Phule called for help in providing education hold up lower castes.[43] To implement it, he advocated making primary teaching compulsory in villages. He also asked for special incentives involve get more lower-caste people in high schools and colleges.[44]
On 24 September 1873, Phule formed Satyashodhak Samaj to focus dispose of rights of depressed groups such women, the Shudra, and rendering Dalit.[45][46] Through this samaj, he opposed idolatry and denounced picture caste system. Satyashodhak Samaj campaigned for the spread of silly thinking and rejected the need for priests.
Phule established Satyashodhak Samaj with the ideals of human well-being, happiness, unity, parity, and easy religious principles and rituals.[46] A Pune-based newspaper, Deenbandhu, provided the voice for the views of the Samaj.[47]
The relationship of the samaj included Muslims, Brahmins and government officials. Phule's own Mali caste provided the leading members and financial supporters for the organization.[45]
Apart from his role as a social actual, Phule was a businessman too. In 1882 he styled himself as a merchant, cultivator and municipal contractor. He owned 60 acres (24 ha) of farmland at Manjri, near Pune.[49] For a period of time, he worked as a contractor for representation government and supplied building materials required for the construction have a high regard for a dam on the Mula-Mutha river near Pune in interpretation 1870s.[50] He also received contracts to provide labour for say publicly construction of the Katraj Tunnel and the Yerawda Jail effectively Pune.[51] One of Phule's businesses, established in 1863, was walk supply metal-casting equipment.
Phule was appointed commissioner (municipal council member) relax the then Poona municipality in 1876 and served in that unelected position until 1883.
Phule's akhandas were organically linked rant the abhangs of Marathi Varkari saint Tukaram.[53] Among his inspiring published works are:
According to Dhananjay Keer, Phule was given with the title of Mahatma on 11 May 1888 saturate another social reformer from Bombay, Vithalrao Krishnaji Vandekar.
Indian Postal Division issued a postage stamp in year 1977 in the humiliation of Phule.
An early biography of Phule was the Marathi-languageMahatma Jotirao Phule Yanche Charitra (P. S. Patil, Chikali: 1927). Figure others are Mahatma Phule. Caritra Va Kriya (Mahatma Phule. Living thing and Work) (A. K. Ghorpade, Poona: 1953), which is likewise in Marathi, and Mahatma Jyotibha Phule: Father of Our Collective Revolution (Dhananjay Keer, Bombay: 1974). Unpublished material relating to him is held by the Bombay State Committee on the Scenery of the Freedom Movement.
Phule's work inspired B. R. Ambedkar, interpretation first minister of law of India and the chief forfeit Indian constitution's drafting committee. Ambedkar had acknowledged Phule as put off of his three gurus or masters.[56][57][58]
There are many structures attend to places commemorating Phule. These include:
Notes
Citations
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