Mahatma Jyotirao Phule was the first Indian to speak out about the suffering and misery of Dalits. He is the father of modern Indian women’s education who opened many schools for the daughters of Atishudras who were considered untouchables. Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar considered Lord Buddha, Saint Kabir and Mahatma Jyotirao Phule as his gurus or masters. This is a short overview of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule’s life and his various social reforms.
Estimated reading time: 41 minutes
Introduction
जे का रंजले गांजले । त्यासी म्हणे जो आपुले ॥
तोचि साधु ओळखावा । देव तेथेचि जाणावा ॥
Saint Tukaram Maharaj while describing the traits of Sadhu Purusha (real saint) says that knows him to be a true man, who takes to his bosom those who are in distress. Know that God resides in the heart of such a one. He who calls them his own by action should be called a true saint. Whether they wear saffron clothes or not.
As defined above, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule was a true saint. Placing Mahatma Jyotirao Phule in the ranks of Lord Buddha and Mahatma Kabir, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar said that he is the saviour of Dalits and a true saint.
Great men like Lord Shri Krishna, Lord Gautama Buddha and Lord Mahavir are born in India. From time to time many brave, accomplished and mighty great men were born in this country. They acted wisely. Served the public. Served the community. Bhima showed prowess. Showed diligence. So we have their names in our memory. We still remember these people and celebrate their memorial day. We learn and enlighten ourselves from their brilliant life biographies. These great saints worked hard for the salvation of society despite being criticized, slandered, despised and insulted by society.
Mahatma Jyotiba Phule fought day and night for his goal without fearing public slander. Because of their progressive approach and struggle of bringing change, they were persecuted a lot, but those noble Mahatma did not fail in their duty. In this holy land, many great men were born in every century. Of these great men, some were Rajarshi and some were Maharshi, some were philosophers and some were researchers and some were thinkers, some were social reformers and some were the saviours of the downtrodden, from Saint Dnyaneshwar to Mahatma Gandhi who gave us the divine message of non-violence.
For the downtrodden, for the untouchables, many self-sacrificing and loyal Mahatmas worked tirelessly. Their only desire is to let the untouchables live as human beings. Don’t belittle them, and don’t ignore them. They are also human beings.
If they are Shudras and born into a lower caste, it is not their fault. The higher varnas should show humanity towards the Shudras. They should be treated as brothers. Even if they are untouchable, they still have human rights? Why should they stay outside the village like animals? Take them with you. They are people, not animals. You pet the dogs, take them close. But why do you turn away these Harijan brothers? Let them live like others in our society. Let them also get jobs as per merit.
The saviours of the downtrodden worked tirelessly so that they should not be persecuted by society. From Saint Eknath to Babasaheb Ambedkar the architect of the Indian constitution all of them tried hard to get a place of honour for the Dalits in the society regardless of public slander, persecution, trouble and the pressure of boycott from the society. Due to their efforts, untouchability has now been largely eradicated. The downtrodden Dalit Harijans have started bawling in public places along with the so-called upper-class community. This is quite pleasant.
But for bringing this change, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule had to fight with the society of that time. He started calling for rebellion. Their unremitting efforts stopped the endless persecution of the untouchables. Conditions of life have never been so better for Dalits, thanks to the immense contribution of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule. Let us introduce the life of such a great man.
Birth and Childhood Days
The ancestors of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule used to live in the village of Katgun, which is about twenty-five miles from Satara. Jyotirao’s great-grandfather was a Chougula of Katgun. Chaugula used to do many types of work under Patil and Kulkarni.
Jyotirao’s family belonged to the Kshatriya Mali caste. His great-grandfather used to barely support the family on the meagre income of his farm. His original surname was Gorhe. Because of various non-agreements with Kulkarni of the village later they shifted their residence to the village of Khanwadi in the Pune district. There they had a son. His name is Shetiba. The father’s only son was pampered and prodigal. He came to Pune along with his family to make some arrangements for the family’s future. Shetiba had three sons namely Ranoji, Krishna and Govind. He started a flower business in Pune. Business flourished. Within a few days, it became famous. They used to make flower garlands, mats, pillows and dresses for the Peshwas. Seeing his skill in the flower business, people started calling him ‘Fule’. Since then he dropped his nickname ‘Gorhe’ and assumed the surname ‘Phule’.
Govindrao Phule is Jyotirao’s father. Jyotirao’s mother’s name was Chimanabai. Chimanabai was the daughter of a gentleman named Jagade Patil of Dhankawadi village near Pune. Chimanabai had two sons. The name of the first is Rajaram and the younger is Jyoti. Jyoti was born in Pune in 1727. Chimanabai died when Jyoti turned one year old. Govindrao was deeply saddened by the death of his wife. At that time, it was customary in Hindu society to remarry immediately after the death of the first wife. So the relatives suggested Govindrao get married again. But Govindrao refused them and spent all his life alone. He hired a babysitter to take care of little Jyoti. That midwife took good care of Rajaram and Jyoti with love and affection. Thus, Jyoti benefited from good and vigorous health.
Govindrao Phule was not a very learned person. At that time people from other castes except Brahmins did not get much education. Regardless of the circumstances of that time, the fact that Govindrao Phuli sent Jyoti to school was highly commendable.
Jyoti was an intelligent, stylish and enthusiastic student. He made good progress in his studies. Jyoti completed his primary school studies. He consistently topped his class. Now he could read and write and calculate with ease. Govindrao thought that more education will make his son unfit to work in the fields and farmlands. So, he removed Jyoti from school. He stopped attending school, as per his father’s wish and started working in his father’s flower garden with a spade, a shovel and a wheelbarrow. Jyoti was very honest and hardworking. Govindrao was satisfied with his industriousness.
In those days, in Hindu society, marriages between boys and girls used to happen in their childhood itself. Jyoti was about thirteen years old. Govindrao decided to get him married as per the caste custom. There was no question of Jyoti’s opinion. At that time, the marriages of the children were decided by their parents and they took care of their livelihood. Govindrao chose the daughter of Khandoji Nevse Patil of Naigaon village in Satara district for his Jyoti. The intended bride was about eight years old. They got married in a huge ceremony. The bride’s name was Savitri. Jyoti’s wife Savitri was beautiful, humble and intelligent. It can be said that Savitri was an inspiration and a constant source of energy in his entire life.
After marriage, Jyoti resumed working on the farm. He would spend the whole day in the field with a spade and a shovel. He used to take good care of vegetables and flowers.
Even though there was a break in education, Jyoti’s passion for education was so high that on contrary, his passion for reading increased. After a day’s work in the farmland, he used to read in the evening light. Jyoti’s routine was to get a book from somewhere and return it to him after reading it. Thus, people in the neighbourhood saw him as an attractive, enterprising and intelligent boy.
Two learned gentlemen used to live next door to Govindrao Phule. One was named Ghaffar Beg Munshi. He was a teacher of Urdu and Persian languages. The other was a Christian preacher named Lijit Saheb. Both these gentlemen appreciated the qualities of Jyoti. They convinced Govindrao that such a brilliant child should be given education, education will raise his intellectual level and give scope for his achievements. In the end, Govindrao thought that by removing Jyoti from school, he has damaged the child, and he has wasted three years of his life. Therefore, in 1841, Jyoti was again admitted to the Scottish Mission School. Jyoti was now almost fourteen years old. Although there was a gap of three years in education, Jyoti started his studies with determination. He never left first grade. His teacher praised him for this.
Life’s Resolution
In his school, Jyoti had many friends, one of whom was Sadashiv Ballal Govande. Govande was a boy from a Brahmin family. However, their friendship lasted till the end. There were some Muslim boys in Jyoti’s household. Jyoti also came in contact with them. Therefore, he was able to do a comparative study of the customs and social equality between Hinduism and Muslims. He gradually came to understand the false and mean customs that were practised in the name of Hinduism and he developed a hatred for caste discrimination and false beliefs. The association of English teachers brought awareness of human duty and human rights. He got to read the English book ‘Rite of Man’ by the writer Thomas Paine. He decided to save his countrymen. During his student days, he decided to change the grip of the rotten ideas on the minds of Dalits with a revolution of thought.
Interest in Physical Education
Everyone is in dire need of physical strength along with intellectual progress. Exercise makes the body strong and toned. Jyoti decided to earn good health to achieve the envisaged goal. Lahuji Buba Mang, a gentleman from the untouchable community was his guide in this field.
He trained Jyoti well in the sword, belt and marksmanship. When Jyoti twirled the baton, people flocked to witness that skill. Jyoti was famous in Pune as an excellent gymnast. The acquired physical strength was of great use to him in later life.
A Fight with British Armed Soldier
In 1874, Jyoti completed his studies at an English school. Since there was no college in Maharashtra for English education at that time, his education stopped there. He made up for the lack of higher education by reading books on various subjects. Jyotiba also got inspiration from the American independence movement. He became the champion of human equality, human rights and human freedom. While engrossed in this noble thought, a very important incident happened in Jyoti’s life.
It was normal for Britishers to insult anyone because it was British rule. Once Jyoti was walking along the road when he met two British soldiers on the way. Both of them uttered some slurs. Jyoti could not bear it. The matter came to an end. Jyoti, an athlete, took a big cane and attacked both British soldiers. Their bones were softened. Seeing Jyoti’s physical strength, those soldiers fled from there. It is no wonder if Jyoti got the idea of expelling the British from India after seeing the arrogant behaviour of the British.
Finding the Goal
Due to his independent attitude, he decided not to do a government job. He did not pay attention to the heirloom flower family business. He was thinking that he should serve society. Around that time, an important incident happened in Jyoti’s life.
The situation was very simple. At that time such incidents were common to non-Brahmins. A Brahmin friend of Jyoti got married. Jyoti was invited to that wedding. He went to that wedding ceremony. Jyoti’s friend – the husband to be was walking to the large congregation. Most of the Brahmin women and children were beaming with pride in the procession. Jyoti was also walking ahead in that procession as his friend got married.
People of other castes were not allowed to lead a procession as barati at Brahmin weddings. Seeing a gardener’s son walking alongside him angered some orthodox Brahmins. One of them scolded Jyoti – “Oh, you son of a Shudra farmer! How dare you walk with brahmins like us? Ram Ram! The real Kali Yuga has arrived. People have become very shameless lately. The limits of caste have become unimaginable. Come on, back off and lag behind everyone. These people are becoming more and more common in this British state!”
As soon as these caste words fell on Jyoti’s ears, he became very angry. As he was self-respecting, unable to bear the insult of these words, he stormed out of the wedding procession and went home. He began to sob sadly. Jyoti reported all the events to his father.
Jyoti’s father used to believe in those customs. He didn’t mind Brahmins insulting non-Brahmins. Instead, he said to Jyoti, “They are Bhudevas, and we belong to the Shudra caste. How can we walk with the Brahmins? How can we walk with those Brahmins even if it is British rule? Because of the British rule, those Brahmins let you go unpunished. Try to understand me. If the Peshwas were in rule, they would have thrown you under an elephant’s foot for the same crime! We are of low status. We should abide by the constraints of caste, this is the wisdom.”
Jyoti listened to his father’s thoughts. But he did not agree with them. Jyoti’s mind was full of thoughts. Who created such a difference between people? Gods or Humans? He was not understanding why some call themselves upper castes and treat the Bahujan community with inferiority! Who created this caste system? Who decides if a person is superior or inferior? Decided by religion? No, no, how will true religion make such a distinction? Many such questions started crowding in his mind.
On a lot of thinking, he realized that these castes were not created by God but by human beings. Brahmins bought this narrative so that the power should remain in their hands. Non-Brahmins were not allowed to get an education. If Shudras and Dalits are to be uplifted, these castes should first get an education. The shackles of social and mental slavery must be broken. He felt that there should be a fight against the evil practices which are ruling the minds of the Hindu society in the name of religion, and he decided to fight against this social injustice for life.
Teaching – Dissemination
Jyoti was now about twenty-one years old. So all the people started calling Jyoti – Jyotiba – with respect. Education is a major tool to develop and live life to the fullest. But in Hinduism, women and Shudras were deliberately kept away from education. Jyotiba took up the issue of women. At that time the women were suffering the most. Getting married in childhood, and taking care of her family and children was their only work the entire life. A woman is the mother of future generations. If the mother herself is uneducated, how can she guide her children to the right path? Jyotiba made a firm resolution to educate women for the salvation of the world. Jyotiba was determined to educate women.
While still thinking about the women’s issue, once Jyotiba went to Ahmednagar to Sadashivrao Govande. At that time Mr Govande was working in a judicial office in Ahmednagar. One day the two friends visited Miss Faras’ school in the American Mission. Women’s education was neglected in India. Miss Faras expressed grief over that. Foreigners were trying to improve the conditions of our country. They opened schools. Educated children of the poor. But our own people were indifferent about it. This was saddening for Jyotiba.
On his return to Pune, he decided to start a school for junior-class girls. That school was established in Bhide Wada in Budhwar Peth. It started in the month of August 1848. Jyotiba’s colleagues Sakharam Yashwant Paranjpe, Sadashiv Govind Hate and Sadashivrao Govande used to help him financially in this endeavour. But many parents didn’t send their girls to school because there were male teachers. So Jyotiba decided to appoint his wife Savitribai as an assistant teacher.
Savitribai was sent to the mission school in Ahmednagar for her own education so that she could get her primary education and teach others. Sadashivarao Govande’s wife also joined Savitribai. While studying at a mission school, the two young women faced various obstacles and were blamed by the rotten-minded people in society. Still, Savitribai completed her education and came back to Pune and took up the profession of a teacher as per her husband’s wish. But while doing this noble work she knew people will put her into trouble and misery in the name of Dharma. Still, that sadhvi agreed to work for the cause. She started working as a teacher in a girl’s school founded by Jyotiba. Savitribai was the first women teacher in Maharashtra.
At that time, a Hindu woman working as a teacher was considered very anti-social and anti-religious thing. Seeing that Jyotib’s wife Savitribai was going to teach school, the orthodox people of Pune were outraged. On the way, those people threw mud on Savitribai’s body, threw dirt and even pelted stones at her. But Savitribai bore this torture by the people and did not abandon her work because of the fear of cynics.
Seeing that even after torturing Savitribai, Jyotiba and Savitribai did not give up their work, Orthodox upper-caste people took a new stand. Some of them went to Jyotiba’s father and scolded him and said – “Your son and his wife have blackened religion. Even God will be angry with us because of the unethical behaviour of both of them, you must stop Jyotib’s debauchery, or at least drive him out of the house. This is against the religion.”
Govindrao was a pious gentleman. They consider social customs and traditions as religion and follow them scrupulously. Like the Sanatani Brahmins of Pune, the dignitaries of their own Phulmali community also put pressure on him. Govindrao was in fear of getting socially boycotted. They wanted to live in society. He decided to teach Jyotiba a lesson.
As soon as Jyotiba came home, Govindrao angrily said to him..
“Oh Jyoti! Did you do this? You teach Mahar and Manga children yourself and make your wife teach them too? I will not allow you to carry on this irreligious behaviour anymore. You put an end to your school immediately!”
Jyotiba said “Baba! There is no virtue like education, so how do you consider education irreligious? As I have started this work for the relief of the downtrodden Dalits, I will never stop giving.”
“Then take your wife leave my house” Govindrao ordered angrily.
Knowing the importance of work, Jyotiba prepared to leave the house. His wife Savitribai also came out after her husband. Any person who undertakes a great task has to face many challenges. One has to endure calamities throughout life.
As Jyotiba left his father’s house, it became necessary to do some business for his own livelihood. At first, they used to feed themselves by sewing blankets and doing small jobs. During difficult times, Jyotiba used to run a sewing ‘shop’ with the help of a servant. And Savitribai used to make quilts. In such a situation it became impossible to run the school due to lack of money. External financial aid also stopped, so the destitute Jyotiba had to close his school temporarily.
Even though Jyoti’s school was closed down, the flame of the goal was not extinguished, so in the meantime, the member of Paramahansa Sabha, Shri. Keshavrao Bhavakar taught Savitribai in the teaching branch. With some improvement in his financial situation, Jyotiba decided to start school again.
The school was re-opened on the premises provided by Sadashivarao Govande at Junaganj Peth in Pune. Not only this but on 3rd July 1851, on Wednesday, Peth, in the palace of Chiplhankar, a girls-only school was opened and Savitri was appointed as the headmistress. But running a school in those days was not an easy task. The children coming to school had to be given textbooks.
Sometimes even clothes had to be provided. School teachers had to work for very little or no salary. However, due to the efforts of Savitribai, the school which started with 8 girls soon had 48 girls. It shows how well that school was running. Apart from this, Jyotiba himself used to teach adult men and women for two hours a night at her home.
Later, Jyotiba opened a second school for girls at Rasta Peth on 17 September 1851 and the third school for girls at Vetalpeth on 15 March 1852. All these three schools were making good progress. After observing the schools the supervisor gave feedback ‘good progress was made in such a short time’. Also, on 16 November 1852, a big ceremony was held for Jyotiba’s educational work and Major Kandy publicly felicitated him by the Board of Education and presented him with a Mahavastra.
As soon as Jyotiba’s work was approved by the government, orthodox sanatanis were shaken. Because of the British rule, their intentions did not come true, so the orthodox Brahmin society of the time continued to resent Jyotiba’s achievements.
A Killer’s Remorse
Jyotirao was a true social revolutionary. After seeing the success of Jyotiba in the field of education, some people in Pune started to admire him. The Sanatani Brahmins were of the opinion that Jyotirao’s conduct and teachings were corrupt and heretical. Some of them decided to kill Jyotirao. They appointed two men to kill him. One of them was Ramoshi Rodhe and the other was Dhondiram Namdev Kumbhar. They were hired at Rs. 1000 each.
It was a night. Jyotirao was sleeping on his bed. There was a dim candle well-lit in his room. He woke up when he heard someone’s footsteps and sat up in the faint light of Samai(Candle). Soon both the killers arrived. It was as if he was facing the Yamdevata himself. Still, Jyotirao did not waver. Without letting his mind wander, he calmly asked –
“Who are you”
Exclaimed Ramoshi angrily uttered, “We’re here to kill you.”
“We dare to send you to Yamasadan” growled another assassin.
“The end of me? And for what?” Have I ever offended you.? Jyotirao asked the killers.
The killer had no answer to this question.
“You have done us no harm. But some people have dared us to execute you,” replied the killers again.
“But will it do you any good?” As soon as Jyotirao asked this, the killers admitted that they would get one thousand rupees each.
At that very moment, Jyotirao was saddened and said – “Oh, my death is going to benefit you! So take my head! The poor people whom I was blessed to serve, have now turned the knife from my neck, this is my good fortune! Come on! My life is for Dalits!”
As soon as they heard these words of Jyotirao, the swords fell from the hands of those assassins, amazed at the greatness of the mind of the one whom they were going to kill they felt ashamed of their actions. Both of them kneeled at Jyotirao’s feet and became his disciples. They began to study in Jyotirao’s night school. Among them was Rodhe of the Mang community who later became his bodyguard. Another Dhondiram Namdev Kumbhar later became a pandit under Jyotirao’s inspiration. This marked the pillar of the ‘Satyashodak Samaj’ (truth-seekers society).
Establishment of Child Homicide Prevention Home
After the promotion of women’s education, Jyotirao’s attention turned to social reforms. He did not agree with the prevailing social customs of widows in Hindu society, such as Sati Pratha. He started a battle against such customs.
The issue of widow remarriage was particularly relevant to the Brahmin caste. The campaign for the remarriage of widows in Maharashtra started and continued since 1840. On July 25, 1856, the Widow Marriage Act was passed by the British government. According to the aforesaid act, any Hindu widow was free to remarry. And in 1857, women’s right to divorce was recognized.
Even though the widow remarriage law was in force, very few remarriages took place, leaving many widows in dire straits. Their lives depended on the whims of the family heads. After marriage, widows were forced to do hair removal. A diligent Brahmin would not take water from the hands of his widowed daughter or daughter-in-law if she kept her hair. Even the sight of a widow was considered a great ominous sign. Even though the evil practice of shaving a widow’s head was broken, seeing the poverty of widows, Jyotirao’s heart was deeply troubled. Many people in society led young widows to sin. As soon as when such a window gets pregnant, all the blame was put on the widow herself.
Such widows were then thrown out of the house. In such cases, they had no other option but to put an end to their lives.
Jyotirao Phule was not just a saviour like other people. He was truly creative in his reforms. He established an infanticide prevention home for widows to come and give birth in secret and keep their children there. A widow who has secretly given birth could either take her child or keep it there at her convenience. The orphanage would take care of the children kept there. This also stopped infant Hindu orphans from being left at the mercy of Christian missionaries.
Several Brahmin widows got rid of troubles safely and secretly in the infanticide prevention home started by Jyotirao. In the same juvenile home, A son was born to a Brahmin widow named Kashibai in 1873. Savitribai had cut the umbilical cord of that child. On the twelfth day, the naming ceremony was performed and the boy was named Yashwant. Jyotirao and Savitribai brought up Yashwant as their own son. Reformists expressed their respect for this humanitarian work of Jyotirao.
‘Gulamgiri’ (Slavery)
Jyotirao Phule was fearless, outspoken, straightforward and selfless. He had the moral courage of a man who can make history. He had unshakable faith in his thinking.
Jyotirao wrote the book ‘Gulamagiri’ to attack the Varna system which was exploiting the ignorant poor in the name of religion. Liberty, equality and fraternity were his main themes. As monks, the Brahmin society plundered the lower classes and the Brahmins occupied the high officer jobs under British rule. So they were exploiting the poor ryots. Brahmins were mainly monks, moneylenders, rulers, nobles, teachers or lawyers who used to connive and torture Shudras and Atishudras. Also, the Brahmin Bhikshuks cheated and looted the rustic society. Jyotirao was of the firm opinion that all the illiterate people, who were afraid of religion and god, were suffering this oppression. The cause of the plight of the Shudra, Atishudra and poor society was the Brahmin religion(Bramhanwad). He wrote the book “Gulamagiri” to convince and enlighten the poor and oppressed.
Truth Seeker Society (Satya Shodhak Samaj – सत्यशोधक समाज)
Rights are denied when asked. Jyotirao strongly believed that rights must be earned through constant struggle. Motivated by the ambition to free the lower class from the mental slavery of the Brahmins, he started a movement against such oppression.
He founded the Satya Shodhak Samaj on 24th September 1873 to create real religious awareness and thought awareness among the non-Brahmin community. Jyotirao was elected as the first President and Treasurer of Satyashodak Samaj.
The mission policy of the Truth Seekers Society was:
(1) to stop the exploitation of the Shudras and Ati Shudras by the Brahmin community
(2) to teach them about their human rights and entitlements
and (3) to free them from the mental and religious slavery of the Brahminical scriptures.
After the death of Jyotirao Phule, the founder of the Satya Shodhak Samaj, in 1911, the resolutions of the Satyashodhak Samaj were published, and two principles of the Satyashodhak Samaj were mainly discussed.
(1) All humans are children of one God and God is their parent
(2) Just as one does not need an intermediary to meet or please one’s mother or one’s father, one does not need a priest or guru to pray to God.
If the above principles are accepted, a person of any caste can become a member of Satya Shodhak Samaj.
The Oath
At the time of becoming a member, each member had to take the following oath:
“I will treat all human beings with the wisdom that they are children of the same God, for they are my brothers and sisters. I will not need intermediaries during worship, devotion or meditation of the Lord or during religious rituals. I will teach others to do the same. I will educate my sons and daughters. I will always act loyally. I make this pledge in true testimony to the Lord. May I be empowered to act according to this pledge, so help me lord to pass the course of life properly as pledged”
Within a short period, the branches of Satya Shodhak Samaj spread all over Maharashtra. It was a rule that all the members of the branch should gather together and have a meeting every week.
The weekly meeting of the Pune branch was held on Monday at Dr Govande’s house. There used to be discussions about the prohibition of alcohol, compulsory education, promotion of Swadeshi, abolishing the priesthood of Brahmins in the religious field, making arrangements for family marriages at low cost, freeing people from fear of astrology, ghosts, Samandha etc. Emphasis was placed on the principle of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. One may notice that the outlook of the truth-seeking society was comprehensive.
A Hindu marriage without a Brahmin Pandit
Jyotirao started direct action to implement the goals and objectives of the truth-seeking society. He decided to give scholarships to poor students through Satyashodhak Samaj. Jyotirao arranged to give scholarships to ten by calling for applications from poor students. Non-Brahmin people and social reformers praised Jyotirao freely for that.
Being a member of the Satyashodhak Samaj, one had to take a pledge “I will not need intermediaries in the worship of God and religious rituals and I will preach to others to do the same”. He decided to put this religious doctrine into action by taking initiative himself and tried to arrange marriages according to the rules of the truth-seeking society without the priests or any Bramhin intermediaries.
Jyotirao arranged the first such marriage of his relatives. A distant relative of his was a servant in his shop. He was young and a widower. They taught him to read and write in a school meant for adults. Jyotiba arranged his marriage to a suitable bride and decided to marry him in accordance with the mission of the Satya Shodhak Samaj. As the boy was dependent on Jyotirao, he too gladly accepted his suggestion.
The Brahmins of Pune came to know that Jyotirao was planning to marry a young man from the Phulmali community without inviting the Brahmin Bhatji. They decided to oppose such a marriage. Some Brahmin monks went to the girl’s father and tried to convince him that it was inauspicious and treasonous to marry a god without a Brahmin.But as the bride’s father was a member of Satya Shodhak Samaj and a follower of Jyotirao, he did not waver from his determination. And the arranged marriage was celebrated on 25th December 1873 in a simple manner at very little expense. The members of Satya Shodhak Samaj attended this marriage ceremony in large numbers.
Jyotirao didn’t stop here though, he created an easy marriage system according to his idea. Even the oaths decided by the truth-seeking society about the loyalty of husband and wife were formed. A new set of Mangalashtakas were composed by Jyotirao. Of course, Brahmin monks had no place in such a marriage. Later, the wedding ceremony ended with betel nut. All unnecessary expenses like dowry, maintenance, food etc. were split in it. Due to this easy marriage system, poorer families benefited a lot.
Jyotirao decided to arrange Gyanoba Sasane’s marriage ceremony in a new way. A marriage without a Brahmin priest was considered a big religious event in those days. So the Brahmin monks of Pune revolted and sent some goons to dissuade Gyanoba from such a marriage. They also threatened excommunication from the caste and society. Then naturally Gyanoba Sasane got scared and surrendered to Jyotirao. He earnestly told Jyotirao that it would be better to remain a widower for life rather than suffer social persecution. Jyotirao consulted Gynoba that the British government was capable of protecting his rights and there is no reason to be afraid of them. He convinced him that all the non-Brahmin people are with him.
At the same time, Jyotirao’s acquaintances also conspired against him, and on the day of Sasane’s marriage, Jyotirao and his associates were beaten up. But Jyotirao’s courage did not waver. He decided to face the situation with courage. On May 7, 1874, Gyanba Sasane was married happily at Jyotirao’s house under police supervision. The marriage was conducted in a straightforward manner in the manner of the Satya Shodhak Samaj, the expenses were not special, but the wedding ceremony was conducted with great enthusiasm in an auspicious atmosphere. Outside his home, however, the atmosphere was tense. Mahar Mang followers of Jyotirao had gathered large numbers for the present marriage. To protect their leader they were keeping a close eye on the movement of Brahmins. The sensational news of this marriage was prominently published in many newspapers of the time.
Labor Movement
Whenever Jyotirao Phule visited Mumbai, he witnessed the hard life of the mill workers. They used to work from dawn to dusk. The only off they ever got was just for a lunch. They used to work in the mill for almost fourteen hours every day. Women also worked in these mills. Even small children were forced to work. The conditions of life and conditions at work were miserable for all of them.
Narayan Meghaji Lokhande, a colleague of Jyotirao from Mumbai, decided to struggle and bring about change in the laborious conditions of the workers working in these mills.
He took up the task of dispelling the plight of the poor workers with great courage. He highlighted the plight of the workers in the newspaper “Deenbandhu”. Jyotirao and Lokhande used to address workers’ meetings in Mumbai. In 1880, Lokhande established the ‘Mill Hand Association Society’. The workers put up a fierce fight through that association. It is the first trade union in India and Jyotirao’s colleague Shri. Lokhande was the founder of the organization.
Drinking Water – Accessible to all
At that time, every house in Pune had a well. And for the general community, there used to be a big tank in every peth and the clean water from it was used for drinking by the people nearby. But the Dalit class could not even get drinking water without effort. It is said that such water tanks in Pune were built by the Peshwas. But there was no facility for the people of the Mahar & Mang community to get water from that well. When there used to be a water shortage in summer, those Dalits travelling many miles would have to face difficulty and return thirsty. Even begging for water didn’t work for them.
It was a summer afternoon! People of the so-called upper class were filling water at the public tank. And at some distance, a few women of the Dalit community were begging for water with water pots in their hands but no one had mercy on them. Coincidentally, Jyotirao was walking on the same street. Watching the misery of some and oppression by others he fell to pieces. He went to the tank with a heart full of thrones. He snatched a mug full of water from a guy and poured the same into a Dalit women’s pot. They all thanked him profusely and left.
Jyotirao made up his mind and the next day he freed the untouchables his well in Shukaravarpeth, Pune. No doubt that Jyotirao did a great act of courage. Jyotirao opened his well for Mahar and Manga communities. On hearing this news, the Sanatani people of Pune were furious. Even the people of Jyotirao’s own caste threatened to isolate him from society (a form of excommunication) but Jyotirao Phule did not budge. He was convinced that what he was doing was for the welfare of humanity; So he continued the work of the untouchable without paying attention to people’s criticism.
Public awareness for alcohol prohibition
Around 1880, the government started thinking about increasing the number of liquor cellars in the city of Pune. At that time, Jyotirao was a member of Pune Municipality. He wrote a strong letter on 18 July 1880 to Plunkett, Chairman of the Executive Board of the Pune Municipal Corporation. In that letter, alcohol is a pest in the social life of India and the seeds of the moral decay of the people are sown by opening the bottles of alcohol. Therefore, to stop the promotion of this addiction to some extent, he demanded that the tax should be levied on the municipal liquors in proportion to the sales. Jyotirao Phule’s letter created a lot of commotion in the city of Pune. This incident awakened the opinion regarding the prohibition of alcohol.
Cultivators Whipcord (शेतकऱ्याचा आसूड – Shetkarycha Aasud)
Jyotirao wrote the book ‘Shetkaracha Asood’ in April 1882. It describes the bad situation of farmers in society and the role of government.
Jyotirao awakened the farmers of their rights who majorly lived in villages. Many were freed from the moneylender’s trap. He led a continuous movement for the welfare of Indian farmers.
A large population of Indian peasants were almost starving. Jyotirao was of the opinion that the day when the farmer goes to sleep with a full stomach and happiness will be the golden day of India.
Once a ceremony was held to award honour to the Duke of Connaught in Pune. At that time, all the dignitaries were sitting in high attire. At such a time, Jyotirao entered the meeting dressed with a blanket on his shoulders, torn sandals on his feet, and a dirty turban on his head to present the condition of the poor farmers in India to the government.
First Mahatma of Maharashtra
A huge crowd gathered at the Koliwada Auditorium in Mandvi on the afternoon of 11th May 1888. A large number of Jyotirao’s followers had gathered there to pay him a fitting tribute as he turned sixty years of age. It was as if idolatrous poverty incarnated there, dressed in dirty turbans, oily caps, and tattered bodies, to repay their debt of gratitude to their saviour. But their minds showed the richness of their heart.
In the felicitation ceremony, many speakers gave inspiring speeches. The pioneer man who bravely and relentlessly fought for the salvation of the Dalits, the assembled people gave the title of ‘Mahatma’ to Jyotirao with thunderous applause. Seeing the extraordinary love of the people towards him, Jyotirao was overwhelmed. Through his speech, expressing his gratitude, he requested the people to spread the work of Satyashodhak Samaj from village to village. Jyotirao Phule was the first great man to receive the highest title of ‘Mahatma’ from Dalits and lower classes in modern India.
Marriage of an adopted son
Jyotirao’s adopted son Yashwant was now grown up. Jyotirao and Savitribai took care of him as a son. As soon as Jyotirao mentioned Gyanoba Sasane about Yashwant’s marriage, he agreed to give his daughter to Yashwant. At that time Gyanoba’s daughter Radha was studying in the third standard. Jyotirao brought the future daughter-in-law home and started her education under his supervision. Befitting the phule family, she was married to Yashwant in February 1889 in the manner of the Satya Shodhak Samaj. The bride and bridegroom said Mangalashtake. The program was conducted in a very simple manner by giving betel leaves to the congregation present. The bride was named Chandrabhaga.
Demise
In July 1888, Jyotirao suffered a stroke of paralysis. The right side of his body was damaged. Dr Vishram Ramji Ghole treated him free of charge. As the financial condition of Jyotirao’s family was not satisfactory, his followers helped him by collecting small donations. Jyotirao’s illness continued to increase day by day. On November 27, 1890, Thursday, his condition became alarming and there were signs that his end was near. At five o’clock in the evening, many people came to meet. At that time, he expressed his hearty desire that the Satyashodak Samaj must be spread. He requested his followers to continue the work of education and salvation of the lower classes. He called his wife near and preached to her patiently. The poor woman gazed impassively at her dying husband with a sad heart. Finally asking Yashwant to add incense, he asked everyone to pray to God. Jyotirao himself started chanting prayers in a low voice and finally on 28th November 1890 at 2:20 in the morning, the noble Mahatma ended his earthly journey.
Funeral
The news of Mahatma Jyotirao Phuli’s death spread like a wildfire. The poor people of the entire Maharashtra cried profusely. On November 29, his funeral procession took off at ten o’clock in the morning. Hundreds of colleagues and thousands of followers joined the funeral procession. Hundreds of wreaths were laid. His body was carried by many colleagues. People of all castes and religions like Marathas, Brahmins, Muslims, Mahars, Mangs etc. joined the funeral procession. There were also some women in it. Both sides of the road were enlivened with the cries and tears of people.
Finally, this Mahayatra went to the cemetery. A funeral was held there. All the speakers appealed to everyone to carry on his great work of social reform even after his demise. After that Jyotirao’s adopted son Yashwant cremated his mortal body. The pyre was lit. He who burnt his standing life and gave light to the lives of crores of downtrodden, that flame finally went out. But the same flame lit innumerable lamps and even today it guides the way like a lamppost in the form of its immortal work.
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Jyotirao Phule’s Thoughts
- Ignorance and superstitions which create social restrictions on the lives of Hindu men and women are Brahmin creations. The Brahmins have ensnared the Hindu man by creating a maze of delusional, fanciful, exaggerated, wonderful, miraculous ideas. Finding out the history of when and how this Brahmin class invaded that society and established its rule is an important part of social reform.
- The Arya Brahmins, directly and indirectly, ruled over the native people here by teaching customs and ideas to make the people ignorant and stupid in order to maintain their rule.
- Puranic stories are a grand display of cheating and swindling.
- Caste discrimination created a permanent divide in Bahujan society. Because these people are more in number than Arya Brahmins, it is made possible to divide them and dominate them.
- The main reason for the creation of untouchability was the people who came forward to fight with the Arya Brahmins. They created untouchability to rule them completely. Actually, there is no difference between race and touch.
- A trend in the government education system of the upper classes shows that all the top government posts have been monopolized by the Brahmins. If the government is really interested in the welfare of the people, then it is the primary duty of the government to remove these many defects. The monopoly of Brahmins should be limited day by day by appointing few people from other castes.
- Farmers and other poor classes cannot take special advantage of education. A few of them have children from primary and secondary schools, but they do not stay in school for long. Because their parents are in poverty. Farmers and the poor need them to keep their cattle and do agricultural work.
- Primary education should be made compulsory among the masses up to a certain age limit. It should be done at least till the age of twelve years.
- In the prevailing conditions of education, the ratio of teachers’ salaries to the success of students in examinations is not appropriate from the point of view of imparting education to the poor and the ignorant. Because in the lower class no interest in education has been developed. For these poor students, no teacher will run the school on his own responsibility. Because he will not be able to earn enough from it. Schools should be continued to create interest in education and special incentives should also be introduced.
- The primary education imparted in government schools should be built on solid and satisfactory foundations. It should be useful and practical in the future life of the students.
- Teachers in primary schools should preferably have passed the teaching examination and should preferably be from the peasantry. Because they can understand the needs and feelings of the poor children better than the Brahmin teachers and can easily mingle with them.
- Primary teachers in the junior class do not care about holding a ploughshare or holding a carpenter’s level. That teacher can easily get along with the lower classes. Their curriculum should include other general subjects but they should also have a basic education in agriculture and health.
- The curriculum in rural areas should be easier and more relaxed than the curriculum of education in the city. But it should be left out of their daily routine. An “ideal farm” should be planned for the scientific knowledge of agriculture. It will be of special benefit and if that ideal farm is managed systematically, the country will be greatly benefited from it.
- The books in the primary and anglo vernacular schools should be revised. Because it is not practical or there is no scope for their progress. Also, there should be a plan to gradually impart knowledge in technical, ethical, health, agricultural and some useful arts.
- Schools in rural areas should be inspected four or more times a year. It would be more useful to make surprise visits to schools without prior notice to teachers about school inspections.
- In popular opinion, education is impractical and inappropriate in view of the lives of all common people. Its only use is to produce clerks and teachers, teachers and students fail miserably in the matric examination. That course has no practical nature. It is not the education that will enable the student to lead a future independent life. This shall change with the improvement in the quality of education.
- Higher education should be arranged in such a way that it is easily accessible to all and the examination books prescribed for the Martic examination should be published in the Gazette. Doing so will encourage private students and help the country more in terms of knowledge dissemination.
- The system of awarding scholarships should be made in such a way that the children of those classes whose education has not progressed will get some scholarships. Even if the method of awarding scholarships by keeping competition for scholarships is fair in principle, it will not contribute to the spread of education among the lower classes.
- Aryans deceitfully made a strict arrangement about Mang and Mahara and brought it into implementation, that’s why there’s a visible difference between them and it remained as it is till today. Even this didn’t satisfy them, so they mocked the creators of us all and became Bhudeva themself and Aham Brahma and made other ignorant Shudra Atishudras clap to the sound of the rivers of Brahma. Nowadays, people like Ramdas and other Bhatt Sadhus made a new treatise on the earlier work of the cunning Rushis without deliberately exposing the ploy of enslaving the Shudras and Ati Shudras. Taught them to worship various kinds of metal and stone idols, relegated them to the fabled and fake Dharma, and likewise wickedly restricted Manga and Mahara. They pushed this as a campaign. Because of this, the divide remained the same after all these years.
- Divine is an imaginative standard accepted by Karma. It has no doer at all. Fate, Prarabdha and Sanchita are all considered by us to be the Nirvana Karta of all. (M. Phule S. Literature p. 391) {Needs Correction}
- The resulting inferences about industry and laziness are not understood by all people. Hence they call it fortune by speculation. This is fiction similar to the legend of Bhakad in Ramayana and Bhagavata and it is all false.
- For the sake of the pleasure of our creator, whoever conducts himself with other human beings by upholding the social truth shall be termed as ‘Niti’. {Needs Correction}
- Because the sly Aryabhatta hid the Vedas, the ignorance and lack of understanding of the Vedas has grown in the Shudras and Ati Shudras. But henceforth, I assure you that after taking out our Vedas in the Bible of Christians and making them known to the world, the crafty Aryabhatas will never be afraid to spoil their Vedas. {Needs Correction}
- In every religious book, due to some individual’s bias as per the situation of that time, they are not equally beneficial to all human beings, easily there are many divisions between them and they start to envy and hate each other deeply.
- Brahmins are of Aryan descent, they are not indigenous but came from outside. They defeated the mighty native inhabitants of this country Mahars, Mangs, Adivasis, and Kunbis. They called them Shudras, Ati Shudras and enslaved them. In order to keep his supremacy intact, they created many self-serving books on them by introducing caste discrimination and filling them in the minds of the illiterate indigenous people. Ever since the Bhats created caste differences between Shudras and Atishudras, they all had different opinions.
- When men and women are equally entitled to enjoy all human rights, it is sheer partiality to apply one rule to women and another to beneficent men.
- Greedy with the intention of not allowing all women to understand human rights. Men prevented them from getting an education.
- This is exactly what went wrong in the case of Shudras and Ati Shudras “Without knowledge, wisdom was lost; without wisdom, morals were lost; without morals, development was lost; without development, wealth was lost; without wealth, Shudras are ruined; all these disasters are due to lack of knowledge”
Originally in Marathi as “विद्येविना मती गेली, मतीविना नीती गेली, नीतीविना गती गेली, गतीविना वित्त गेले, वित्तावीना शूद्र खचले, इतके अनर्थ एका अविद्येने केले.”