JYOTIBA PHULE
Context
The ‘Tika Utsav (vaccination festival)’, started on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule (11th April) will continue till the birth anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar on 14th April 2021.
Contribution of Jyotiba Phule
Social Movements
o After reading Thomas Paine’s famous book ‘The Rights of M an’, Jyotirao was greatly influenced by his ideas. He believed that enlightenment of the women and lower caste people was the only solution to combat the social evils.
Efforts Towards Women Education
o In 1851, Jyotiba established a girls’ school and asked his wife to teach the girls in the school
o Later, he opened two more schools for the girls and an indigenous school for the lower castes, especially for the Mahars and Mangs.
o Jyotiba realised the pathetic conditions of widows and established an ashram for young widows and eventually became advocate of the idea of Widow Remarriage.
Efforts Towards Elimination of Caste Discrimination
o He opened his home to people from all castes and backgrounds. He was a believer in gender equality and he exemplified his beliefs by involving his wife in all his social reform activities.
Satya Shodhak Samaj
o In 1873, Jyotiba Phule formed the Satya Shodhak Samaj (Society of Seekers of Truth). He undertook a systematic deconstruction of existing beliefs and history, only to reconstruct an equality promoting version.
o Jyotirao vehemently condemned the Vedas, the ancient holy scriptures of the Hindus.
o He traced the history of Brahmanism through several other ancient texts and held the Brahmins responsible for framing the exploitative and inhuman laws in order to maintain their social superiority by suppressing the “shudras” and “atishudras” in the society.
o The purpose of the Satya Shodhak Samaj was to decontaminate the society from caste discrimination and liberate the oppressed lower-caste people from the stigmas inflicted by the Brahmins.
Published Works
o Jyotiba had penned a number of literary articles and books in his lifetime and most were based on his ideology of social reforms like the ‘Shetkarayacha Aasud’.
o He also wrote book Gulamgiri
o He also penned some stories like ‘Tritiya Ratna’, ‘Brahmananche Kasab’, ‘Ishara’.
o He wrote dramas like ‘Satsar’ Ank 1 and 2, which were enacted under his directives to spread awareness against social injustice.
o He also wrote books for the Satyashodhak Samaj that dealt with history of Brahminism and outlined Puja protocols that the lower caste people were not allowed to learn.