MAHATMA JOYTIRAO PHULE

MAHATMA JOYTIRAO PHULE

The work done by the parents & will continue to be done by their children . Then when will the children  move up a level in the process of living? When will they and their future generations emerge from this cycle of deprivation, poverty? And if they are never introduced to the immense possibilities of human life, when will they ever explore them?

This sentence is as applicable in the modern era of 21st century was equally applicable in 18th century.

That is in the time of Mahatma Phule. Then the question arises have we not been walking the path of progress in the meantime? Or have we kept standing on this foot carrying the burden on that foot and yet we still felt like we wear walking the path.

In the life  mortal man there is only struggle and an uncertain future. With this keen intelligence to understand the things, Mahatma Phule sacrificed his life for upliftment of the society or unpriviledged people in the hope that one day all this adversity would turn into prosperity.

In the way Mahatma Phule forced society to turn its back which was lied like an anaconda that swallowed a pray.

He was  only worthy of the title of Mahatma and of being a warrior of creator.

Mahatma Phule always said  that the 3000 year old caste system will end in 30 years. I am not such a naive optimist . But I will continue to give my share of blows.

Mahatma Phule was very craziest, fearless and some what peppry which gradually calm down with the company of Savitribai.

Profoundness was inherit in him. Therefore he quickly found the purpose of his  life.
The meaning of which he saw from the real life experiences . That was  human service of course human upliftment. For that he choose the path  to  provide solutions for every problem.

After that whatever  upheavals happen in the life this couple has endured. If there was  no written evidences of it, no one would have believed that this people lived like this.

The people who were  hindering Mahatma Phule’s social reforms send people to kill him with a reward of  100 Rupees . Mahatma Phule told them, that if you would get 100 Rupees by killing me and your clan or generations will be safe then definitely kill me.

That means  I am useful to someone. It will be considered a virtue. And that’s were there weapons fell.

Latter on one of the two became Mahatma Phule’s bodyguard, while the other became a learned scholar and wrote books.

Mahatma Phule seems to be a profound person as well as a psychiatrist. When Savitribai started showing some reluctance to study and started explaining why she was bored or tired. Mahatma Phule told her,”Savitri you didn’t do this before, now you are feeling so bored or tired.” “Because the myths that are prevalent in the society against women’s education have captured your mind, you are now afraid of them.”
Once this thought removed from  your inner self then  your past and future are truly easy and simple.

Mahatma Phule was  from the  family that cultivated the garden ,took the task of cultivating the heart, sometimes with gentle discernment and sometimes with intense logic.

If the society which is mired in mired of casteism, high and low class and touchables and untouchables is to be brought out of this wire of evils, then all the rotten customs and tradition will be attacked, not to destroy the society but to modernised it.

While leaving in the wake of social reform Savitribai nurtured the feminity in Mahatma Phule ,while Phule  awaken the masculinity in Savitribai. Otherwise Mahatma Phule would not have been able to understand the emotional underpinings of women’s issue in the family and at the social level.
And Savitribai would not have been able to put up with the manly behaviour of smiling at women who through dung ,soil and dirt on her .

This is the social world of the warrior of the creator. In this the entire society has become a family and both the actors have become mere Karma the whole has become Karma of creator.

Mahatma Phule is a constant source of inspiration from finding the tomb of Shivaji Maharaj whose life  inspired the entire world to writing poems on him he inspired himself and fills  the hearts of people who acted with kindness at the grassroot level.

This circle of journey was came full circle when Mukta Salve who used to come to girls school in a sack .(Her father used to hide her in a side due to fear of the people) became a writer and social activist. Where as Fatima Shaikh became a Pioneer for the upliftment of Muslim women.

From education to opening the water tank in the house. From the child murder prevention home to  Satya Shodhak Samaj. From widow remarriage to organising barber strikes. From gender equality to welfare of workers.

How much diversity in his work. The length,breadth and depth of each work is different. It’s importance in time and spaces  is different . According to the needs of each task, Mahatma Phule work as an infinite source of energy among the workers like never seen lamp.

Sometimes he forcely weaved the fabric of the society and sometimes he gently tore it.

The British rule will not last in India was clear to him ,but he always says that what good in society ,that is independent which denies  half of its people a human life?

We have no need for reforms in the swamp of our own evils and vices.Mahatma Phule fearlessly attacked social reformers who spoke like this. His language was strong in these attacks, there was opposition, but every time he was wounded in his hearts because of their hypocrisy and charlatanism.

When the child murder prevention home was open for other widows after seeing the plight of widow Kashibai he said, if you are denying woman the right to remarriage, only because of cast and customs, then what  different result you might get  from ?

If women are not given the right to knowledge, development and survival. What will be their future? I never get angry with those who deny it. Rather I feel sad that violence is happening due to their ignorance.

Mahatma Phule had such a accepting  spirit towards everyone so his work become timeless.

The incident of 1868 when Phule and his wife we are not having children. Then the family urge Mahatma Phule to get married again. On this he said that, just as everyone giving me the right to get married again we should also gave this right to Savitri. Only then will it be fair  otherwise it will be injustice to Savitri. Today is 2025….

We all go through the biographies  of such great persons like Mahatma Phule to inspect what faith  gave them  the strength to do such courageous work without fear. Also wanted to inculcate such strengh in us .  After all we are  also the warrior of this creator.

Today there is no need to do such work for the society. Even though we can  uplift ourself  is enough. “Because there is no tower in the world where a storm cannot be set.”

|| Mauli Charni Arpan ||
Ashwini Gawande