DeScriPtion
When she was nine years old, Savitri was married to thirteen-year-old
Jyotirao Phule. Savitri yearned to be able to go to school, to read books.
Jyotiba wanted his wife to be educated as well, and so he taught her. Soon,
she learnt not just to read and write, but also trained as a teacher. Together,
Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule started schools where girls and boys, Dalit
children, and those who had been shunned from schools till then could get
educated. They fought against caste atrocities. They made sure that women
learnt of their rights to exist with dignity.
Savitribai Phule became one of India's first woman teachers and female
reformers. She faced incredible opposition to her work when people attacked
her not just with words but even with stones and dung. But nothing could stop
her.
This is the enduring story of a woman who looked at age-old injustices and
prejudice in the eye, and overcame them with courage and the power of
learning.
