Jyotirao Govindrao Phule, also known as Mahatma Jyotiba Phule was born in Satara, Maharashtra. He was a great philosopher and social reformer, who worked for the cause of upliftment of lives of the underprivileged masses throughout his lifetime.

His contributions towards social upliftment of the vulnerable sections include:

• Upliftment of the untouchables: He worked hard to abolish untouchability and caste discrimination by organising a powerful movement against upper caste domination and Brahminical supremacy.
  • Phule founded the Satyashodhak Samaj (Truth Seekers’ Society) in 1873, with the leadership of the Samaj coming from the backward classes. The main aim of the movement was to fight for equal rights for the poor and people from lower castes.
  • Phule was against caste discrimination and also set an example against the evil of untouchability by allowing his own water storage (tank) to be used by everyone (including the untouchables).
  • Through his works, ‘Sarvajanik Satyadharma’ and ‘Gulamgiri’, he gave a sense of identity to the depressed communities as a class against those who used religion and blind faith of the masses to exploit them.
• Promoting female education: It was due to his encouragement that Savitribai Phule (his wife) became the first female teacher in the country. He was a firm advocate of female education and women’s rights. He educated his wife and advised her to teach girls. He, along with his wife, established two educational trusts, namely the Native Female School, Pune, and the Society for Promoting the Education of Mahars, Mangs, and others. He also established the first school for girls in India in August 1848.
• Against female infanticide: In 1863, Jyotirao and Savitribai started the first-ever infanticide prohibition home in India called ‘Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha’. It supported pregnant rape victims in delivering and saving children.
• Upliftment of widows: He advocated for widow remarriage and established a home for lower and upper-caste widows in 1854. He and his wife rigorously campaigned against the dehumanisation of widows and advocated for widow remarriage.

Phule wanted social transformation, not just social reform. He believed that through mass awakening and social revolution, a society can be free of exploitation. He was a humanitarian and a revolutionary who fought against the existing societal problems. His legacy was carried on by his wife Savitribai Phule after his death in 1890.