Jyotirao Phule

Jyotirao Govindrao Phule (11 April 1827 – 28 November 1890) was an Indian social activist, thinker, anti-caste social reformer and writer. He was from Maharashtra. Phule worked in many fields. These included getting rid of untouchability and the caste system. He is also known teaching women and people in lower castes. He and his wife, Savitribai Phule, were pioneers of women's education in India. Phule started his first school for girls in 1848. It was in Pune. He formed the Satyashodhak Samaj (Society of Truth Seekers). Their goal was to get equal rights for people from lower castes. People from all religions and castes could become a part of this group. It worked to better the treatment of the oppressed classes. Phule is an important person in the social reform movement in Maharashtra. He was given the title Mahātmā (Sanskrit: "great-souled", "venerable") in 1888.