Death Anniversary of Savitribai Phule

• 11 Mar 2026

Source: PIB 

Union Home Minister paid tribute to Savitribai Phule on her death anniversary (10th March, highlighting her role in bringing women into the fold of education during an era marked by deep-rooted social evils. 

Savitribai Phule 

• About: Savitribai Phule was a social reformer from 19th-century Maharashtra who fundamentally transformed Indian society by challenging patriarchal and caste hierarchies. 
  • She was born on 3rd January 1831 in Satara (Maharashtra) into the Mali community and married at the age of 9 to Jyotiba Phule. 
• Contributions: 
  • Women's Education: In 1848, she made history by founding India's first Indian-run girls' school in Pune, alongside her husband. The couple collectively established and ran 18 schools. 
    • She helped establish trusts like the Native Female School, Pune and the Society for Promoting the Education of Mahars, Mangs and Etceteras, directly challenging caste-based discrimination. 
  • Gender Justice: In 1852, she founded the Mahila Seva Mandal to raise awareness for women's rights, campaigning against child marriage and advocating for widow remarriage. 
  • Combating Female Infanticide: In 1863, the couple, founded the Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha, recognized as India's first home to combat female infanticide and provide shelter to pregnant Brahmin widows and rape victims. 
  • Caste Equality: She institutionalized social equality by initiating the first Satyashodhak marriage—a dowry-free, priest-free, and non-Brahminical ceremony—to subvert caste and patriarchal norms. 
  • Literary Contributions: A poet and author, her notable works include Kavya Phule (1854) and Bavan Kashi Subodh Ratnakar (1892). Her famous poem, "Go, Get Education," encouraged the oppressed castes to break the shackles of slavery. 
• Resistance and Death: She faced extreme orthodox opposition, enduring social assaults and being stoned. She died in 1897 after contracting the bubonic plague while selflessly caring for a patient. 

Read More: Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule