Dr Vishakha Kolambikar
Savitirbai Phule, a prominent social reformer, educationalist, and beyond that a great littérateur and philosopher in modern India, played a crucial role to promote women’s education and social reforms. Born on January 3, 1831, in Naigaon, Maharashtra, India, she married Jyotirao Phule, the saviour of the oppressed.
Jyotirao recognised Savitri’s intelligence and thinking prowess and encouraged her education. They established the first school for girls in Pune at Bhidewada in 1848, breaking the social barriers and fighting evil practices then prevailed.
Along with Jyotirao, she struggled hard for the women’s rights and education. Savitri’s path to awaken the women became the base for all social and feminist movements in India.
While toiling day and night for the downtrodden, Savitri concurrently wrote prose and poems, abhangas, ballads, to make awareness among the downtrodden. Her first poetry collection was ‘Kavyaphule’ written in 1854. This includes her total 41 poems. Subodh Ratnakar written in 1892 includes six poems. Her poems reflected her progressive views and served as a tool for social awakening. She covered all the genres of literature. Her poems dwelt on nature, history, spirituality, feminism and morality. No doubt she stands as a prominent early poetess in Marathi literature. In all her writings, humanistic values are the core message. Till the end of her life, she strove hard for the betterment of humankind.
Savitri passed away on March 10, 1897. Her legacy of courage, compassion, and determined advocacy for social justice will be remembered for the generations ahead. Indebted forever remembering, her life and work today!
(The writer is lecturer in English,
Government Polytechnic Jalna).