Jyotirao Govindrao Phule
Jyotirao Govindrao Phule is a freedom fighter who fought for the rights of the oppressed and downtrodden.
He was born on January 3, 1827 in a village called Naigaum in Maharashtra.
He studied at an English school, unlike most Indians of his time.
There he learned about Christianity, Hinduism and Islam.
These teachings shaped his thinking about society and he advocated for Dalits who were discriminated against by the Hindu society at that time.
Phule was against caste-based oppression that was prevalent in India during his time.
He believed that women were not given their due rights and that they were treated as slaves.
Phule started Satyashodhak Samaj which aimed at educating people from all castes, religions, and gender so that they could have equal opportunities to succeed in society irrespective of their background.
He strived hard for education for all and had set up schools for girls and lower castes.
He believed that girls should be given equal opportunity as boys in society.
This is why he started a school for girls in 1848, which was named ‘Hindu Girls’ English School’.
He also opened a school for lower caste children, where they were taught English, mathematics and other subjects on an equal level with higher castes.
In 1855 he started his own school for girls in Pune which was named as 'Mahila Vidyalaya'.
He also established a 'Bhagini Nivedita Girls' School' in Calcutta for educating Brahmin girls.
He died on November 28, 1890 at the age of 63 years old due to chronic bronchitis and asthma.
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