Mahatma Jotiba Phule ka Vichar Dhan

Mahatma Jotiba Phule ka Vichar Dhan

While attending a recent dharna at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, a volunteer placed a little booklet in my hands. The booklet was titled, Mahatma Jotiba Phule ka Vichar Dhan and contains the thoughts and ideologies of Mahatma Jotiba Phule.

Mahatma Jotiba Phule (1827-1890), also known as Jotiba Govindrao Phule, is a nineteenth century social reformer from Maharashtra. He contributed immensely to the emancipation of the lower sections of society and worked on a wide range of issues that included education, women, agriculture and the removal of caste system and untouchability. He sought equal rights fro the peasants and the lower classes. Mahatma Phule, along with his wife Savitribai Phule could easily be considered to be a pioneer in the education of women with having opened the first school for girls in India in 1848. In 1873 Phule and his followers launched the Satya Shodhak Samaj (Society of Seekers of Truth) which worked for the emancipation of the Shudras and Ati-Shudras from the oppression of the Brahmins and other dominant classes.