Mahatma Jotirao Phule’s writings and efforts of social reforms touched issues of almost all subaltern classes. Discuss.

Q.11. Mahatma Jotirao Phule’s writings and efforts of social reforms touched issues of almost all subaltern classes. Discuss.

Mahatma Jotirao Phule (1827–1890) was a pioneering reformer who went beyond elite concerns to address the oppression of women, Dalits, Shudras, and peasants. Unlike many contemporary reformers who worked within Sanskritic traditions, Phule consciously spoke from the margins and articulated an inclusive vision of justice for almost all subaltern classes.

Phule’s Writings and Reformist Efforts Across Subaltern Classes

Women

• Efforts: With Savitribai, he opened Pune’s first girls’ school (1848), ran homes for widows and orphans, and promoted widow remarriage. These initiatives directly challenged patriarchy and upper-caste monopoly over education.
• Writings: Argued that women’s subjugation was inseparable from caste domination. Feminist scholars note that Phule was unique in linking caste and gender oppression. (Stree-Shikshanacha Mahatva (The Importance of Women’s Education, 1854))

Dalits and Shudras

• Efforts: Established schools for Shudras and Dalits, and built public wells to democratize access to resources denied by untouchability.
• Writings: Gulamgiri (1873) equated caste oppression with slavery, offering a rationalist critique of Brahmanism. Historians describe it as a “counter-history” that reframed Bahujans as indigenous “sons of the soil.”

Peasants

• Efforts: Campaigned for irrigation, fair taxation, and protection against moneylenders, linking caste with agrarian distress.
• Writings: Shetkaryacha Asud (1881) critiqued colonial agrarian policy, making Phule one of the earliest voices of peasant radicalism.

Bahujan Masses

• Efforts: Founded the Satyashodhak Samaj (1873) to mobilize Shudras-Atishudras, conduct inter-caste marriages without Brahmin priests, and reject ritualism.
• Writings: His reinterpretation of history in Gulamgiri depicted Bahujans as the original Indians oppressed by Aryan invaders—an early articulation of collective subaltern identity.

Critique of Religion and Myths

• Efforts: Conducted community-led rituals free of priestly monopoly, symbolizing the democratization of religion.
• Writings: Exposed myths such as Parashurama’s slaying of Kshatriyas as ideological tools of domination. His rationalist rejection of scriptural authority gave his message a universal appeal across caste and community.

Legacy and Influence

Phule’s vision inspired Ambedkar (anti-caste politics, constitutional safeguards), Shahu Maharaj (reservations), and Periyar (Self-Respect movement). Scholars hail him as the “father of India’s social revolution” and the first modern Bahujan intellectual. His ideas resonate today in affirmative action policies, women’s education drives, caste equity struggles, and rationalist movements.

Phule’s reforms cut across caste, class, and gender, making him the rare reformer who addressed all subaltern layers of society. By combining sharp writings (Gulamgiri, Shetkaryacha Asud) with grassroots action (schools, widow homes, public wells, Satyashodhak Samaj), he laid the foundation of India’s social justice tradition. His rationalist vision continues to inspire India’s pursuit of equality, dignity, and inclusive development.

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