Satyashodhak Samaj and Jyotirao Phule

At a Glance

• Who Jyotirao Phule (1827-90), of the mali community, Satara
• Organisation Satyashodhak Samaj, 1873
• Works Sarvajanik Satyadharma, Gulamgiri
• Aims Social service; education of women and lower castes; end of caste
• Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: Reform Movements and Their Leaders

Where Does It Fit?

This is the sixth topic of the category on reform movements and their leaders. The previous topic covered four reformers of western India. This topic covers the movement of the lower castes in Maharashtra under Phule. The next topic covers the Servants of India Society and the Social Service League. Previous topic: Western Indian Reformers: Jambhekar, Paramahansa Mandali, Lokahitawadi and Agarkar.

Who Was Jyotirao Phule?

Jyotiba Phule (1827-90), born in Satara, Maharashtra, belonged to the mali (gardener) community and organised a powerful movement against upper-caste domination and brahminical supremacy. He was awarded the title Mahatma for his social reform work.

What Was the Satyashodhak Samaj?

Phule founded the Satyashodhak Samaj, the Truth Seekers’ Society, in 1873. The leadership of the Samaj came from the backward classes: malis, telis, kunbis, saris and dhangars. Its main aims were (i) social service and (ii) the spread of education among women and lower-caste people.

Phule’s works, Sarvajanik Satyadharma and Gulamgiri, became sources of inspiration for the common masses. He used the symbol of Rajah Bali as opposed to the brahmins’ symbol of Rama. He aimed at the complete abolition of the caste system and of socio-economic inequalities, and was against Sanskritic Hinduism. The movement gave a sense of identity to the depressed communities as a class, set against those brahmins who used religion and the blind faith of the masses to exploit them for personal monetary gain.

What Did Phule Do for Women and Education?

Phule was a firm believer in gender equality and a pioneer of women’s education. With the help of his wife, Savitribai, he opened a girls’ school at Poona. He was also a pioneer of the widow remarriage movement in Maharashtra and opened a home for widows in 1854. As noted in Struggle Against Caste-Based Exploitation, he gave the highest priority to educating the lower castes, especially girls, for whom he opened several schools.

How Does Phule Compare With Other Maharashtra Reformers?

Phule differed from the reformers in Prarthana Samaj and Western Indian Reformers: Jambhekar, Paramahansa Mandali, Lokahitawadi and Agarkar. Those movements were led by upper-caste men and tried to persuade orthodoxy to change from inside. Phule’s Samaj was led by the lower castes themselves and challenged brahminical authority directly, which makes it an early voice of the non-brahmin movement that, as the chapter notes, later spread to the southern states in the early twentieth century.

As an analytical point, the contrast between persuasion from within and challenge from outside is the main thing to remember. It explains why the reform movements discussed in Brahmo Samaj, Prarthana Samaj, Aligarh Movement Revivalist…">Two Streams of Reform: Reformist and Revivalist did not fully address caste, and why movements such as the SNDP and Self-Respect Movement, in SNDP Movement, Vokkaliga Sangha, Justice Movement and Self-Respect Movement, later took up the work.

Why Is This Topic Important?

• Direct facts Founder, year, works and symbol are common Prelims items
• Caste reform Phule is the starting point of anti-caste movements in modern India
• Mains theme Women’s and lower-caste education

What Came Next?

The next topic covers the Servants of India Society and the Social Service League. Next topic: Servants of India Society and the Social Service League.

Key People and Terms

• Satyashodhak Samaj The Truth Seekers’ Society founded by Phule in 1873
• Gulamgiri Phule’s work on slavery and caste
• Sarvajanik Satyadharma Phule’s work on universal true religion
• Rajah Bali Symbol used by Phule against the brahmins’ Rama
• Mali The gardener community of Phule
• Sanskritic Hinduism The brahminical form of Hinduism Phule opposed

Exam Corner

Mains Angle

Questions ask for the role of Phule in the anti-caste movement. These points add depth.

• Lower-caste leadership The Samaj was led by backward classes
• Education as weapon Schools for girls and lower castes
• Counter-symbols Rajah Bali against Rama