Tributes to the the great social reformer - Mahatma Jyotiba Phule

28th November marks the death anniversary of Jyotirao Phule. Jyotirao Govindrao Phule, also known as Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, was an Indian social activist, thinker, anti-caste social reformer, and writer from Maharashtra. His work extended to many fields, including the eradication of untouchability and the caste system and his efforts in educating women and oppressed caste people. He and his wife, Savitribai Phule, were pioneers of women’s education in India. Phule started his first school for girls in 1848 in Pune at Tatyasaheb Bhide’s residence or Bhidewada. He and his followers formed the Satyashodhak Samaj (Society of Truth Seekers) to attain equal rights for people from lower castes. People from all religions and castes could become a part of this association, which worked to uplift the oppressed classes. Phule is an important figure in the social reform movement in Maharashtra. He was bestowed with the honorific Mahatma(Sanskrit: “great-souled”, “venerable”) title by Maharashtrian social activist Vithalrao Krishnaji Vandekar in 1888.