In 1863, the Phule couple started a child murder prevention home. Any widow could come here and give birth to her child. Her name was kept secret. Posters of this child murder prevention home were put up everywhere. It was written on these posters, “Widows! Give birth to your child here anonymously without any hindrance. Take your child with you or keep it here; it will depend on your wish.
Dr. Pooja Rai
Savitribai Phule was born on 03 January, 1831 in Naigaon, Western Maharashtra. Everyone knows the work she did for the education revolution along with her husband Jyotirao Phule. But along with this, the Phule couple also started paying attention to other problems of the society. Especially for women’s liberation.
In that era, the condition of widows was the worst. Most of them were from upper caste Brahmin families. Often, girls were married at a young age to men much older than them. In such a situation, many girls became widows. In these so-called upper castes, these widows could not remarry. The society looked down upon them. They were considered inauspicious and a woman of bad omen. They often wore white or saffron sarees. Their hair was shaved off.
The purpose of all this was that they should not be attracted to other men, nor should any man be attracted to them. The feeling of love should not arise in them. But many times they would get attracted to someone. If they were able to escape from outside men, many times these widows became victims of the lust of their own relatives. In such a situation, if they became pregnant, they had no option but to commit suicide or kill the child after birth.
A similar incident happened with Brahmin widow Kashi Bai. She became pregnant after coming in contact with someone. She gave birth to a child. Forced by public shame, she threw that child in a well. A murder case was filed against him and in 1863 he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
This incident shook Savitribai Phule and Jyotirao Phule to the core. In 1863, the Phule couple started a child murder prevention home. Any widow could come here and give birth to her child. Her name was kept secret. Posters of this child murder prevention home were put up everywhere. It was written on these posters that “Widows! Give birth to your child here anonymously without any hindrance. Take your child with you or keep it here; it will depend on your wish. Otherwise the orphanage will take care of those children. This was the first home of this kind in India for widows. Savitribai Phule herself took care of the women coming to the child murder prevention home and the children born to them.
One night in 1874, while walking on the banks of the Mootha river, Jyotirao’s eyes fell on a woman who was ready to jump into the river to end her life. Jotirao rushed to stop her. The woman told them that she was a widow and had been raped. She was six months pregnant. Jotirao consoled her and took her home. Savitribai welcomed the woman into her home with open arms. The woman gave birth to a baby boy, who was named Yashwant. The Phule couple adopted Yashwant and declared him their legal heir. They educated Yashwant and he went on to become a doctor.
Jotirao and Savitribai not only arranged for her delivery but also adopted her son Yashwant. The fact that the Phule couple decided to adopt a child from an unknown woman instead of giving birth to a child themselves shows their deep commitment to their principles and ideas. By doing so, they openly challenged the prevailing orthodox beliefs about caste, lineage, motherhood, fatherhood, etc. So this was Mata Savitribai Phule. Every woman in India should be indebted to her.
Dr. Pooja Rai
Dr. Pooja Rai is a teacher by profession. She is continuously active in writing on women issues. Her book ‘Aadhi Aabadi Ka Dard’ became quite popular.
Courtesy : Hindi News
