Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Biography-1827-1890 CE

by Apr 18, 2020

Hi Everyone, today I am going to share with you the one great personality in the Education field in India who is none other than Mahatma Jyotirao Phule. I hope you would like Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Information.

Brief Information of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule

FactorsInformation
IdentityHe was known as great social reformer specially in Education field.
BirthApril 11, 1827 at Katgun, Satara District, Maharashtra, India
WifeSavitribai Phule
Other NamesJotiba, Jyotiba, and Jotirao
His Interests and TrendsEthics, Anthropology, Education, Social Improvement
DeathNovember 28, 1890 at Pune District, British India (present-day Maharashtra, India)

Introduction to the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Information

Mahatma Jyotirao Phule was a great social reformer, thinker, and writer.
He removed the veil of untouchability and gave a new ideology to society. Phule believed that women should get an education if they want to empower the community in education.

For this, he taught his wife, Savitribai, to teach women. After that, Phule started the first girl’s school in India in 1848 at the residence of Tatyasaheb Bhide in Pune for girl’s education.

He also inspired his wife Savitribai to teach in school. He inspired low-level girls to get an education by eliminating caste and untouchability.

• On September 24, 1873, he founded the Truth-searching Society (Satyashodhak Samaj). Accordingly, the lower castes sought to gain the rights of the people. Also, work was done to uplift the oppressed castes and classes.

• Mahatma Phule is considered to be one of the most important elements in the social reform movement in Langerhans.

Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Biography
Image Credits: Samreenshaikh

Mahatma Phule Jayanti

As I always say, we must celebrate every Jayanti of legends to honor their contribution to society. Mahatma Phule Jayanti is one legend that ever exist in India.

As history may put it out, Mahatma and his wife Savitribai pioneered education for women in India. This was but one of his many achievements. And for it, he deserves the honor of the celebration.

The Birthday of Mahatma Phule dated back in 1847. People celebrate his birthday anniversary every year as Jyotiba Phule Jayanti.

The Early life of Mahatma Phule

Mahatma Phule was born in a small gardener community in the Hindu community. The people in this community mainly worked as vegetable vendors or the traditional business of selling flowers.

Their family’s last name was Gorhe. Grandfather of Mahatma Phule was a Chaugula meaning a common servant in this village. However, for some reason, they migrated to Khanwadi in Pune.

After coming to Pune, he made good financial progress. But as his only son, Fariba, was a little weak, he wasted all his wealth. As a result, he had to move to Poona with his three children in search of income.

There, three of his children were taught their business by flower salesmen. Gradually, he became so proficient in the business that he adopted the nickname of Phule in place of blondes.

During the reign of Bajirao II, he also worked in the royal court for religious rituals and other ceremonies to provide wreaths, pillows, and other items.

Inspired by the work of the Phule brothers, Peshwa Bajirao II gave 35 acres (14 hectares) land as a reward. No tax is levied on land given as a reward. The great spirit of the Mahatma Phule made all the wealth in his own name.

Therefore, Jyotirao Phulean’s father and his other brother Govindrao had no choice but to do farming and flower business.

Govindrao married Chimnabai and had two children. However, Chimaanbai dies prematurely. Since the Kali gardener community was also deprived of education, Jyotirao Phulen could not learn after primary school.

As a result, they began to assist the householder in the business of the shop and in agricultural pursuits. Mahatma Phule wanted to learn, thus allowing him to attend Scottish Mission High School. With that, Jyotiba Fullen agreed to learn from her father too.

In 1847, Mahatma Phule completed his English education. Meanwhile, Jyotirao Phule, traditionally married at the age of 8, married a daughter of his own, discovered by the father of the Phule. Then, in the year 1847, his life took a turn.

Jyotirao Phule went to the wedding of a Brahmin friend. Jyotirao Phule participated in the wedding procession that was to be removed, as the friend’s parents humiliated them all.

The friend’s parents said, “Being of a lower caste, they should have such a society that they should refrain from celebrations like processions.”

This incident created an uproar about Mahatma Phule’s caste system and injustice against lower castes.

The social work done by Mahatma Jyotirao Phulen included the abolition of untouchability, the caste system, education of women and Dalits and the welfare of Dalit women.

On 1848th, Mahatma Phule visited Christian Missionary Girls’ School in Ahmednagar. Meanwhile, he read Thomas Payne’s book “Rights of Man”.

This, in turn, created a strong sense of social justice among them. In Indian society, low caste people are suffering a great loss. It is mandatory to educate the breed to prevent this loss.

By the end of the year 1848, Fullen taught his wife Savitribai to read and write. He then started the first indigenous school in Pune to teach girls.

Like the book Fullen by Slavery, their first school was for the Brahmins and upper-class girls. But, according to the biographer of Phule, he founded the first school for girls of lower castes.

The traditional thinking people of Pune did not approve of their work. Nevertheless, many Indians and Europeans generously supported their work.

Some of the conservatives in Pune at that time excluded the family of Phule from the community. In such a difficult situation, he was helped by a Muslim friend named Usman Sheikh and his sister Fatima Shaikh.

Also, this friend helped start a school in their backyard even after the entire community was evacuated. After that, Jyotiba Phulene started schools for girls of untouchable caste-like Mahar and Mang.

In 1952, there were only three schools of Mahatma Phulean and about 274 girls were studying in them. However, unfortunately, all schools were closed until 1858.

According to Eleanor Zelliot, private European donations were stopped and government support was withdrawn due to a rise in 1857.

Subsequently, Mahatma Phule disputed the curriculum, which led Jyotirao to resign from the School Management Committee.

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Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Memorials

Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Mandai

Mahatma Phule Market or Crawford Market in Mumbai
Image Credits: Wikipedia

Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth

The MPKV (Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth) is one of the most prominent universities in India. MPKV university established and named in honor of the Legend Mahatma Phule. The Institution was first established in 1968, and learning operations kicked in late 1969.

The MPVK university specializes in agricultural studies. The Institution focuses on rendering services to the farmers through agrarian studies. It is located in Maharashtra.

Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth
Image Credits: Amey Kanade

Mahatma Phule Museum

This is one of the most prominent Museums in Maharashtra state. Initially established in 1890, The Mahatma Phule Museum is a must-see Pune popular tourist destination for history lovers. Previously known as the Lord Ray Museum, the delegates here rebranded the Mahatma Phule Museum in 1968. The museum is a fantastic place to visit because it houses various industrial goods, agronomic products, and handmade items.

Although the building is about 118 years old, it still exudes old-world appeal to visitors spectacularly. If you want to learn more about India’s distinct culture and proud heritage, this same Mahatma Phule Museum is a great place to start. Other remarkable and fascinating collections include stone carvings and other captivating artistry works.

Women Welfare Campaign by Mahatma Phule

He tried to remarry the widow, and in the same way, he opened the house in the year of 1863 for the safe delivery of pregnant widows of upper castes. He started an orphanage to prevent child murders. He opened his own wells and houses for the lower caste people to remove the brink of social discrimination and untouchability.

Mahatma Phule Jan Arogya Yojana

As one of the places established and named in honor of the Legend Mahatma Phule, Mahatma Phule Jan Arogya Yojana stands as a universal healthcare project managed by the Maharashtra government.

Despite being an honor to the fallen legend, this project targets o help the poor people within the state. It remains one of the best schemes the local government in Maharashtra ever initiated.

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Thoughts of Mahatma Flower on Castes and Religions

Mahatma Jyotirao Fullen reiterated the historical theory of the Aryan invasion of India and about it. Fullen made some changes to this theory.

Arya, who conquered India, was regarded as the racially superior of the proponents of this theory. These people who were ethnically superior to themselves were actually the people who exploited the indigenous peoples of India.

Phule believed that the caste system was established in a system of social division. To ensure the dignity of the upper classes like the Brahmin community and their coming generation.

This repression was annexed by foreign rulers due to the Muslim invasion of India. Therefore, the injustice of the lower castes increased. On the contrary, in British time, they tried earnestly to prevent such injustice. Because the British government never supported the alphabet system.

In his book “Slavery,” Mahatma Fulane thanked Christian missionaries and English colonists. This is because they, for the first time, realized that even lower caste people are entitled to human rights. In his book Slavery, Phule thanked Christian missionaries and British colonialists for making the lower castes aware that they were entitled to all human rights. The book, titled “Slavery”, is translated into English and includes women, racial reform and the Revolution. This book was dedicated to ending slavery in the United States.

With the Aryan victory in the Indian legend epic Ramayana, the hero Shriram was also the first to remember the symbol of repression by the Phule. Mahatma Phule had started from attacking the Vedas, a Hindu scripture that gave birth to the upper caste, which was the root cause of the caste system. Also, Phule is considered these types of Religious books as a form of false consciousness.
The words, broken and crushed by the Phule, were brought into the Marathi language to describe the plight of people outside the traditional character system. This word was popularized by the Dalit Panthers in the 1970s.

In the Education Commission of the year 1884, Mahatma Phule asked for the help of the lower castes for education. To support this, he advocated for compulsory primary education in the village. He also tried to encourage lower castes to get school and college education.

Establishment of Truth-searching community by Mahatma Phulean

On September 24, 1873, Phule founded the “Truth-searching society”, aimed at gaining the rights of disadvantaged and depressed classes such as Indian women, Shudras, and Dalits. Through this organization, the Phule attacked idolatry, caste, and the caste system. Mahatma Phule rejected the need for priests to spread rational thinking in the community.

Truth-seeking society, happiness, unity, equality, human well-being, simple religious rites, and principles were considered the norm. From time to time, a newspaper called Deenbandhu in Pune voiced the thoughts of the Truth-searching community.

Government officials including Brahmins, Muslims, and people of all castes were also included in this truth-finding society. The people who belong to the gardener community from which the Phule originated, also accepted the leadership of this truth-finding community and provided financial support.

Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Business

In addition to being a social worker, Fullen also worked as a businesswoman. In the year 1882, he selected himself as a farmer and trader as well as a contractor in the municipality. In Pune, there was an acre of 60 acres (24 hectares) of Phule on the cat. The construction work of the dam started on the Mula-Mutha dam in the year 1870. During this time, Mahatma Phulein served as a government contractor for some time and also supplied the necessary construction materials for the dam.

Subsequently, they got contracts to provide workers for the construction of Yerawada Prison in Pune and Katraj Bogda. Another business established by Mahatma Jyotirao Phulean in the year 1863 is to supply metal-fixing equipment. In the year 1876, he was appointed a member of the Municipal Council. He served in the same non-elected post until the end of the year 1883.

Mahatma Phule Punyatithi

As one of the most prominent social reformers in Ancient Indian history, Mahatma Phule, remains unique for his continuous efforts to uplift women in society.

He always advocated for equality across all genders and solving societal problems. At some point, he fought relentlessly to see the lawmakers allow widows to remarry.

People celebrate his death anniversary every 28th of November.

I hope you liked the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Information, also don’t forget to show your support by sharing the information on social media.

Featured Image Credits: Wikipedia

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