Savitribai Phule (1831–1897)

Phule is widely recognized as India’s first female teacher and one of its greatest humanist reformers. Born in Naigaon, Maharashtra, Savitribai had little access to formal education, but her husband Jyotirao Phule taught her to read and write—an act that ignited one of India’s most significant educational revolutions. In 1848, she and Jyotirao founded India’s first school for girls in Pune, directly challenging the patriarchal and casteist structures that denied women and Dalits access to learning. Facing harassment, verbal abuse, and physical attacks, Savitribai persisted, carrying an extra sari to school because upper-caste men often threw mud at her. She later established 18 schools and founded homes for widows, orphans, and victims of sexual violence. Savitribai’s poetry promoted justice, equality, and self-respect, urging oppressed communities to fight for their rights. During the 1897 plague epidemic, she worked tirelessly to aid victims and ultimately died of infection herself—an act of profound humanist service. Today, Savitribai is celebrated not only as a feminist icon but also as a pioneering social humanist who placed the dignity of every person above religious or caste orthodoxy. Her legacy continues to inspire educators, activists, and women across India.