On her 191st birth anniversary on Sunday, Google has paid tribute to Indian educator and feminist icon Fatima Sheikh with a Doodle.
Fatima Sheikh was an Indian educator and social reformer, who was a colleague of the social reformers Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule. Fatima Sheikh was the sister of Mian Usman Sheikh, in whose house Jyotiba and Savitribai Phule took up residence. Fatima Shaikh was born on 9 January 1831 in Pune.
Fatima Sheikh was working as a teacher in the first school started in 1848 in Pune by Mahatma Phule and Savitribai Phule. When Mahatma Phule and Savitribai Phule had to leave home after starting school for girls' education, Fatima Sheikh's brother Usman Sheikh had given them place to stay. Fatima Sheikh started the work of education with the help of Savitribai Phule. She worked for the education of those who were denied education due to class, religion and gender.
Fatima Sheikh worked for the spread of equality throughout her life. She went door-to-door and tried to convince downtrodden of the importance of education. Like Savitribai Phule, Fatima Sheikh had to suffer from the established class of the society at that time. Fatima Sheikh also worked for the Satyashodhak Samaj. The Government of India had included a chapter and photograph on Fatima Sheikh in Urdu books in 2014 featuring her achievements.