Savitribai Phule

Hello! My name is Savitribai Phule, and I want to tell you my story. I was born on January 3rd, 1831, in a small village in India called Naigaon. When I was a little girl, books and schools were mostly just for boys. I used to watch them learn and wish so much that I could learn, too. In 1840, when I was nine years old, I was married to a kind young man named Jyotirao Phule. I still didn't know how to read or write, but my life was about to change in a wonderful way.

My husband, Jyotirao, believed that everyone, including girls, should have the chance to get an education. He saw how much I wanted to learn, so he became my very first teacher! He taught me how to read and write right in our own home. It felt like a whole new world was opening up to me. Once I started learning, I couldn't stop! I even went to a special school to be trained as a professional teacher, which was very unusual for a woman at that time.

Jyotirao and I had a big dream. We wanted to open a school just for girls so they could have the same chances as boys. And in 1848, we did it! We opened our first school for girls in a place called Bhide Wada in the city of Pune. I became its first teacher and headmistress. Not everyone was happy about our school. Some people didn't believe girls should be educated, and they would shout mean things and even throw mud at me as I walked to school. But I was determined! I just carried a spare sari to change into and kept going, because I knew how important our work was.

Our work didn't stop with just one school. We opened many more schools for girls and for children from families who were told they were 'lower-caste' and not allowed in other schools. We believed everyone was equal. In 1868, we opened the water well at our house to people who were considered 'untouchable,' to show that we are all the same. We also opened a home in 1863 to care for women and children who had nowhere else to go. We even adopted a son, Yashwantrao, and gave him a loving home.

In 1897, a very serious sickness called the bubonic plague spread through Pune. My son, who was now a doctor, and I opened a clinic to care for the sick. While carrying a sick boy to our clinic, I caught the plague myself. I lived to be 66 years old. Though my life ended, my dream did not. Today, I am remembered as India's first female teacher, and millions of girls across the country go to school, read books, and follow their dreams. I hope my story reminds you that with courage and kindness, you can help change the world for the better.