Jyotirao Govindrao Phule was a prominent social reformer and thinker of 19th century India. He worked against social evils like untouchability and the caste system. Jyotirao Phule was the pioneer of women empowerment in India and fought for the education of the girl child throughout his life. He also stood against the domination of Brahmins and fought for the rights of the other castes.  

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Jyotirao Phule was born on April 11, 1827, in the Satara district of present-day Maharashtra. His family belonged to the Mali caste of gardeners and vegetable farmers, their original title was ‘Gorhay’. His father, Govindrao was a vegetable vendor in Pune.

In 1848, Jyotirao read Thomas Paine’s book ‘Right of Man’ (1791) and was greatly influenced by his ideas. He realised that the empowerment of women and lower caste people was the only solution to combat social evils. His wife Savitrirao Phule supported the idea and they both fought for the education of the girl child. They opened their first school for girls in Pune, at Tatyasaheb Bhide’s residence.

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Later, he started two more schools for girls and the first school for the lower castes, especially for people from the Mahar and Mang sections.

Jyotiba realised the miserable conditions of widows and established an ashram for young widows and eventually advocated the idea of widow remarriage.

Along with his followers, Phule formed Satyashodhak Samaj (Society of Truth Seekers) in 1873, to attain equal social rights and economic benefits for the downtrodden in Maharashtra. It was even supported by Chhatrapati Shahu, the Maratha ruler of Kolhapur state.

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He wrote 16 books through his life dedicated to the social awakening of the exploited sections of the society who were subject to the upper castes and the British administrators at that time.

He devoted his book ‘Gulamgiri’ (slavery) to the African-American movement to end slavery. It is believed that it was Phule who first used the term ‘Dalit’ for the depiction of oppressed masses often placed outside the ‘varna system’.

Apart from being a social activist and reformer, he was also a businessman. He was a cultivator and contractor for the Municipal Corporation. He served as Commissioner of the Poona Municipality between 1876 and 1883.

On May 11, 1888, he was bestowed with the title of Mahatma by a Maharashtrian social activist Vithalrao Krishnaji Vandekar.

Jyotiba suffered a stroke in 1888 and was rendered paralysed. He died on November 28, 1890.