PM Modi pays tribute to Mahatma Phule on his 188th birth anniversary

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid tribute to Indian activist, thinker, social reformer, writer and theologist from Maharashtra,Mahatma Jyotirao Govindrao Phule, on his 188th birth anniversary.

Prime Minister Modi took to Twitter to offer his tribute.

"Mahatma Phule devoted his life to empowering the downtrodden through education and social reform. Tributes to him on his birth anniversary," Prime Minister Modi tweeted.

Mahatma Jyotirao Govindrao Phule occupies a unique position among social reformers of Maharashtra in the nineteenth century, as he revolted against the unjust caste system under which millions of people had suffered for centuries.

In particular, he courageously upheld the cause of untouchables and took up cudgels for poorer peasants. He was a militant advocate of their rights.

His work extended to many fields including education, agriculture, caste system, women and widow upliftment and removal of untouchability. He is most known for his efforts to educate women and the lower castes as well as the masses. He, after educating his wife, opened the first school for girls in India in August 1848.

In September 1873, Jyotirao, along with his followers, formed the Satyashodhak Samaj (Society of Seekers of Truth) to attain equal rights for peasants and the lower caste and his contributions to the field of education.

Phule was born in the Satara district of Maharashtra to a family of the Mali caste. His father, Govindrao, was a vegetable vendor. He lost his mother when he was nine months old. He died on

28 November 1890, aged 63, in Pune.