Rajasthan Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Shri Tikaram Julie unveiled the statue of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule in Malakheda block of Alwar district.
Addressing the present villagers, Shri Julie said that education has an important place in the progress of any society.
Social and economic progress of any society is not possible without education. He said that Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Savitri Bai Phule are a source of inspiration for the youth. He talked about working for the progress of the country and society by following the path shown by Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Savitri Bai Phule.
Who was Jotri Rao Phule?
- Jyotirao Phule hailed from Pune was an Indian social reformer, writer, and champion of equality for all people, including poor laborers and women.
- He was a strong critic of the Hindu caste system, a means by which people are differentiated and ranked according to the social group into which they are born.
- Phule opposed child marriage, and he supported the right of widows to remarry, which was rejected particularly by high-caste Hindus.
- In 1873 Phule founded a reform society called Satyashodhak Samaj (“Society of Truth Seekers”) to promote social equality, unite and uplift Shudras and other lower-caste people, and reverse the socioeconomic inequality caused by the caste system.
- The society also emphasized the importance of education and encouraged people to conduct weddings without Brahman priests.
- Phule wrote books, essays, poems, and plays. His best-known work is the book Gulamgiri (Slavery), published in 1873.
- In 1888 Phule was given the title Mahatma, which means “Great Soul” in Sanskrit. He suffered a stroke that same year that left him paralyzed. He died in 1890 in Pune.
Who was Savitribai Phule?
- Savitribai Phule was a trailblazer in providing education for girls and for ostracized portions of society.
- She became the first female teacher in India (1848) and opened a school for girls with her husband, Jyotirao Phule. She went on to establish a shelter (1864) for destitute women and played a crucial role in grooming Jyotirao Phule’s pioneering institution, Satyashodhak Samaj, (1873) that fought for equality of all classes.