ABSTRACT
Jyotirao Govindrao Phule, popularly known as Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, was a prominent social reformer and thinker of nineteenth-century India. He led the movement against the prevailing caste restrictions in India. He revolted against the domination of the Brāhmins and struggled for the rights of peasants and other lower-caste people. Mahatma Jyotiba Phule was also a pioneer for women’s education in India and fought for the education of girls throughout his life. He is believed to be the first Hindu to start an orphanage. In the social and educational history of India, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and his wife, Savitribai Phule, stand out as an exceptional couple. They were engaged in a passionate struggle to build a movement for equality between men and women and for social justice. Recognising that knowledge is power and that the progress of women and lower castes was impossible without it they dedicated their entire lives to spreading education. In this chapter, an attempt has been made to familiarise readers with the contributions of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and his ideas on education as an answer to the present challenges of India.
