Till this morning I had no idea who Savitribai Phule was.
I was on Google, and the doodle caught my attention. I'd already clicked for my search word, but I found the picture stayed in mind, so I opened again just to hover over the doodle. The name then struck....'savitri' is one of my favorite characters (from the amar chitra katha times :), so I clicked.
What an inspiring and interesting story, a social reformer (1831 to 1897), one of the first generation women's reformists of India....I read about her almost open mouthed
Just look at the list...she raised a voice against child marriage, organized a strike against barbers to prevent them shaving the heads of widows, had a well dug in her house for the lower castes who weren't allowed water from other wells, opened and ran a care center for pregnant rape victims, founded the first women's school, was a poet....and died while caring for plague victims.
Just look at the list...she raised a voice against child marriage, organized a strike against barbers to prevent them shaving the heads of widows, had a well dug in her house for the lower castes who weren't allowed water from other wells, opened and ran a care center for pregnant rape victims, founded the first women's school, was a poet....and died while caring for plague victims.
It initially felt heavy even to read....and to write....but just pause to think of her. It's just so inspiring. It takes so much courage and intelligence to think and live like that. Couldn't help but wonder what she was made off, and what it must have taken to do all that she did back then. When people talk of societal norms and believe that they ought to be followed just because so many people believe in it, it's nice to have a story like this to remind us all over again just how very meaningless, and even cruel societal norms can be.
This is where I love Somerset Maugham's 'If 50 million people say something foolish, it is still foolish'.
Also to thank Google....it never ceases to amaze.
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