Historians ought to be free from fear, sincere, open minded, open hearted, truth seekers and must have the courage to show the truth at any cost. But its a misfortune that most historians have shown distorted pictures and never showed truth to the people. Hence almost everyone confuse history with fiction and historians have made people blind, deaf and dumb – have disabled people from thinking rationally.

In the introduction to “Forgotten Liberator” Braj Ranjan Mani narrates the history of suppression of Dalits, Adivasis, Sikhs, Muslims and other backward classes in the hands of Brahminism, how these communities were degraded and Brahminism flourished.  After reading this book rational thinking people will definitely question, how could it be possible that the name of such a legend – Savitribai Phule – is omitted from the history books, when names like “Jhansi ki Rani” Laxmibai and names of wives and ‘girl-friends’ of Gandhi-Nehru family are given such prominence in history books?

Excerpts from the introduction to the book:

“India remains the most iniquitous society on the earth. The more things change, the more they remain the same. Extreme disparities in terms of wealth, health, and education have given birth to a new form of two-nation theory — the shining India, and the suffering India. Just over ten percent of the population, mostly from aggressive castes, with different levers of power in their hands, make sure that the rest continue to live in material and mental subjugation, and provide the ‘nation’ their cheap labour. While all wealth generation and development are taken up in the name of empowering the poor, such ‘nation-building’ leaves the poor more demoralised, more marginalised. They still struggle for food, drinking water, sanitation, education. Who are these people? More than ninety percent of them are adivasis, dalits, OBCs, and Muslims. Their representation in the booming market economy, business and industrial domain, information technology, and entertainment industry is next to nothing.”

Mahatma Jotiba Phule and his wife Savitribai Phule were first among the people who declared war against Casteism and Brahminic-Casteist culture. The Maharashtrian pioneering couple led the mass movement of uniting oppressed classes against the Brahminic values and thinking. Savitribai Phule worked as an equal partner in the mission of uplifting the poor and oppressed people. Though, she was formerly uneducated, she was encouraged, motivated by Mahatma Jotiba Phule to study. Later on she became the first lady teacher of the school founded by her husband. They took initiative to give education for the downtrodden, thinking exactly that education is necessary for the restoration of social and cultural values. Savitribai Phule started “Mahila Seva Mandal” in 1852, which worked for raising women’s consciousness about their rights, dignity of life and other social issues. With grave personal risks he went on to organise a successful strike by barbers in Mumbai and Pune against the prevailing practice of shaving  windows’ heads.

In times when even the shadow of untouchables were considered impure, when the people were unwilling to offer water to thirsty untouchables, Savitribai Phule and Mahatma Jotiba Phule shared their their house with them. It was a challenge thrown at the Brahmins to change their mindset towards untouchables. But even after almost 200 years, Dalits (untouchables) are still struggling for water rights.

In the essay “The Stuff Legends are made of” Cynthia Stephen writes “The young couple faced severe opposition from almost all sections. Savitribai was subject to intense harassment everyday as she walked to the school. Stones, mud and dirt were flung at her as she passed”.

Three letters written by Savitribai Phule to Mahatma Jotiba Phule are included in the anthology. From the letters it becomes evident that Savitribai Phule had great respect for her husband and had knowledge of all spheres of life and adept in handling difficult situations.

Sunil Sardar and Victor Paul present translations of Savitribai Phule’s five poems written in Marathi in the essay titled “Pioneering Engaged Writing”. Savitribai Phule was the first Dalit women, in-fact the first women whose poems drew attention in the British Empire. Savitribai Phule was the mother of modern poetry stressing necessity of English and education through her poems.

The volume also contains a letter written by a eleven year old girl, Muktabai studying in Phule’s school under the chapter ‘Grief of the Mangs and Mahars’. The content of this letter is so strong for anyone to believe that this was written by a eleven year old girl. This shows the level of education and upbringing those children were getting in Phule’s school.

During the famines of 1876 – 1898, Savitribai Phule worked courageously with her husband and suggested many new ways to overcome the difficult times.  They started distributing free food at many locations. She died while she was nursing a plague – affected child — she got infected while serving the affected people. Apart from the exceptionally narrated essays of all six authors there are pictures and a list of important days in the life of Savitribai Phule, which give a glimpse into the life of the great liberator.

Indian women are not aware of the greatness of Savitribai Phule, who dared to purse the profession of teaching in the ‘Dark Age’. She dared to speak against the unpardonable boundaries imposed on women in the Indian society, for which today’s women should be grateful to her.  The book is one of its kinds and a must read for all those who believe in human rights and by those women organisations who speak a lot for women empowerment and feminism!

Braj Ranjan Mani writes:

“Savitribai Phule (1831-97), struggled and suffered with her revolutionary husband in an equal measure, but remains obscured due to casteist and sexist negligence. Apart from her identity as Jotirao Phule’s wife, she is little known even in academia. Modern India’s first woman teacher, a radical exponent of mass and female education, a champion of women’s liberation, a pioneer of engaged poetry, a courageous mass leader who took on the forces of caste and patriarchy certainly had her independent identity and contribution. It is indeed a measure of the ruthlessness of elite-controlled knowledge-production that a figure as important as Savitribai Phule fails to find any mention in the history of modernIndia. Her life and struggle deserves to be appreciated by a wider spectrum, and made known to non-Marathi people as well.”

by Pardeep Attri