The relevance of this "trio", i.e. Mukta Salve, Fatima Sheikh and Savitribai Phule (three significant persons together) have gained a lot more visibility on this birth anniversary of Dnyanjyoti Savitribai Phule on 3rd January 2020. What is more significant to see is that― this recognition has also been seen as a "conglomeration" of diverse "oppressed realities" brought on one platform. In this context, the paper attempts to revisit the importance of their personality and work. At the same time, the article also tries to navigate the "socio-political distinctions" as well as "togetherness" among them which then can be acknowledged in the light of Dalit, Muslim-Bahujan, Bahujan Movements and then in broader movement of social justice and social transformation.
Mukta Salve [1841-1855*][1]
In times, when the society in Pune was at the highest peak of caste orthodoxy and super rigid about untouchability in its inhuman form, a 14 years old girl child, Mukta Salve wrote an essay titled 'Mang Maharachya Dukhvisayi' or About the Grief of the Mang and the Mahars". The title Salve can be found in most of the families of Mang sub-caste in the former “Ati-Shudra” and today's Dalits and Nav-Budhhists in Maharashtra.[2] The essay was published in a fortnightly journal namely 'Dnyanodaya'; in two parts. The first part was released on 15th February 1855 and second was on 1st March of 1855. [Narake, 1998]
Mukta Salve was a student of one of the three girls schools[3] that were started by Savitribai and Jotirao Phule. The essay was penned in the form of a memoir, an autobiographical piece in which Mukta Salve nailed out the monopoly of Brahmins in Hindu religion and Vedas in particular, whose imposition has led to the plight of Mang and Mahar Castes (the Ati-shudra and untouchable castes). [ibid] Taking note from her essays, she elucidates,
"लाडूखाऊ ब्राह्मण लोक तर म्हणतात की, वेद ही आमचीच मत्ता आहे. ब्राह्मणेत्तरास वेदाचा अधिकार नाही. यांजवरून जर आम्हा धर्म पुस्तक पाहण्याचा मोकळीक नाही, तर आम्ही धर्मरहित आहोत असे साफ दिसते की नाही बरे? हे भगवाना, तुजकडून आलेला कोणता धर्म आम्ही स्वीकारावा, ते लवकर कळीव म्हणजे तेणेप्रमाणे तजवीज करता येईल!"
~ मुक्ता साळवे, ज्ञानोदय, १५ फेब्रुवारी १८५५, अहमदनगर
"These sweetmeats gobbling Brahmans say that the Vedas are only their monopoly. The non-Brahmins have no right to study the Vedas. Does this not prove that we are without religion since we have no opportunity to even look at the religious texts? Oh God, please let us know soon which religion is coming from you and should be followed so that we can make arrangements thereof."
~ Mukta Salave, Dnyanodaya, 15th February 1855, Ahemednagar
Mukta's essay precisely articulates the monopoly of Brahmin over Vedas. The non-Brahmin castes are not allowed to see the Vedas. The sub-castes within “Ati-shudra” such as people belonging to the Mang and Mahar castes were not even allowed to see Vedas. Being a person from an untouchable caste [4], she didn't have those rights; if not, she smartly questioned her people consider Vedas to be their religion, where they could neither know nor have right to know what they follow and believe. Authoritative castes like Brahmin only have the right to study Vedas. She brings clarity in the matter of social locations of “Ati-Shudra” within the Chaturvarna and asserts that if the Mang and Mahar don't have the right to even see the sacred text, she says not to follow such religion.
In the essay very critically, Mukta Salve looks at the castes system where the untouchables don't have a religious identity like others. She protests to God for vanishing the existence of such a religion from the earth where only one person is privileged, and the rest are deprived.
"Muslims lead their lives according to their Kuran, English people follow their Bible and Brahmans have their own Vedas. Because they all have their own good or bad religion that they follow, they are somewhat happier than us who are without any religion. Oh, God, please tell us, what is our religion? Teach us, O God, your true religion so that we all can lead our lives according to it. Let that religion, where only one person is privileged, and the rest deprived, vanish from the earth and let it never enter our minds to boast of such a (discriminatory) religion." [Savari Editorial, 2015; Mani & Sardar 2008]Mukta has also highlighted the mental illness and she questions the contemporary consciousness of Mahar and Mangs. The Mahar caste, which is also an untouchable caste, considers Mang as lower to them. Mukta assesses their plight very carefully and enlightens them by offering a diagnose a medicine of education to their mental slavery.
"Oh, the mahars and mangs, you are poor and sick. Only the medicine of knowledge will cure and heal you. It will take you away from wild beliefs and superstitions. You will become righteous and moral. It will stop exploitation. People who treat you like animals, will not dare to treat like that any more. So please work hard and study. Get educated and become good human beings." [ibid]
Fatima Sheikh (1850s*]
Fatima Sheikh was a noble person who gave her own house to Savitribai and Jotirao Phule to start a first-ever school called "Indigenous Library" in Bhidewada, Pune. Her brother Usman Sheikh has supported Fatima for her decisions to work with the Phule couple. Very less literature recognises her contribution to the social changes that took place then. Fatima Sheikh and Savitribai, both took the forefront role in establishing schools and taught to the girls as well as boys. Not only has she fought against castes Hindu-Brahmins in her association with Phule couple but also the orthodox Muslim who stood against the education of girls and untouchables. [Khan, 2017]
Due to the presence of Fatima Sheikh and Savitribai Phule, the number of girls students had increased in schools. For example, in Chiplunkar Wada, they started a school on 3 July 1851. Initially, the number of girls students was only 8. Very soon the number increased to 48 in 1852. It can also be said that due to the presence of Fatima Sheikh, the education could reach especially to girls of Muslim families. [Narake, 1998]
Savitribai Phule (1830-1897]
Savitribai was the first headmistress of the girl's school, started in 1848. She was born on 3rd, January 1830 in the family titled Nawashe Patil of Naigaon which is near Shirval and 50 Km from Pune (Narake, 1998) There is no clarity about her maternal caste location but her husband, Jotirao Phule belonged to the 'Mali' caste which is considered as one of the castes in 'Shudra Varna', imposed to be at the fourth level in the hierarchy of 'Chaturvarna'. Most of the literature acknowledges that this school was the first girl's school in modern India. [ibid]
Apart from being an educationist, Savitribai was a poetess too. Today, two collections of Savitribai's poems are available. One of them is 'Kavyaphule'. It had written in 1854, and the second one is the 'Baavannakashi Subodh Ratnakar' written in 1882. It is assumed that there might be more such writing pieces of Savitribai but yet to be available. However, there also exists the controversy whether the literature was written by Savitribai Phule. (Mali, 1988)
Savitribai and Jotirao Phule have not got support from many of their relatives and fellow castes people. They moved to the settlements of Ati-Shudras where they had been given a lot of support by the people [ibid]. It was the communities and people from Ati-Shudra settlements who supported the Phule couple to continue their work. In an interview given to Dnyanodaya, a fortnightly on 15 September 1853, Jotirao says,
"It did occur to me that the improvement that comes about in a child due to the mother is very important and good. So those who are concerned with the happiness and welfare of this country should definitely pay attention to the condition of women and make every effort to impart knowledge to them if they want the country to progress. With this thought, I started the school for girls first. But my caste brethren did not like that. I was educating girls and my own father threw us out of the house. Nobody was ready to give space for the school nor did we have money to build it. People were not willing to send their children to school but Lahuji Ragh Raut Mang and Ranba Mahar convinced their caste brethren about the benefits of getting educated."On 23 September 1873, with the company of her husband, Savitribai started a social movement named 'Satyashodhak Samaj' or 'Truth Seekers Society'. The focus of the society was to awaken Shudra and Ati-Shudra about their oppression in the castes system and untouchability in particular. The movement had also tried looking into more specific issues of women in these groups. They encouraged 'Satyashodhak marriages' in which the bride or groom did neither have to give dowry for marriage nor follow the orthodox social norms. They fought against the priestly domination by organising social-religious ceremonies without them.
The movement got more popularity in Bombay and Pune districts. People from Mali and Kunbi castes then started joining the work of the Phule couple. They mobilised a group of young radicals, mainly Mali's from the cities and Maratha Kunbi from rural areas to fight against the joint exploitation of farmers/ peasantry that was very persistent by the British and Brahmin of that time [Omvedt and Patankar, 2010].
After the demise of Jotirao Phule in 1890, Savitribai took sole responsibility of the 'Truth Seekers Society' and became the leader of the movement. She continued the schools and worked for the movement till her last breath. In a letter to Sayajirao Gaikwad, Mama Parmanand says,
"More than Jotirao, his wife deserves praise. No matter how much we praise her, it would not be enough. How can one describe her stature? She cooperated with her husband completely and along with him, faced all the trials and tribulations that came their way. It is difficult to find such a sacrificing woman even among the highly educated women from upper castes. The couple spent their entire life working for people."
~ Narayan Mahadev alias Mama Paramanand (31stJuly 1890)In this trio, one could see the intellectual (epistemological), axiological (ethical) and compassionate leadership led by the women from oppressed sections in the wake of socio-political movements of the nineteenth century.
Endnotes
Reference
Resources on Mukta Salve, Fatima Shaikh and Savitribai Phule
- When the essay was written, Mukta was 14 years old [Narake] So her birth year might be 1942. After the essay, there is no data available about Mukta Salve.
- In the same contemporary times, Lahuji Raghoji Salve [1811-1881] a prominent social revolutionary from the Matang Caste has worked with Jotirao and Savitribai Phule.
- There are three schools started by the Phule couple and have been recorded in the data of British Archives. Those are at Chiplunkar Wada, Rasta Peth and Vetaal Peth. It has not been clarified which school Mukta Salve studied. Few claimed that school was the one situated in Vetal Peth. [Garud]
- In the first line itself, Mukta clears that, "It humbles me to realize that God has filled the heart of an untouchable girl like me, considered to be even lower than an animal, with the pain and suffering of my people – the Mahars and Mangs."
- The dates which are starred like this '*' are yet to be confirmed.
Reference
- Salve Mukta, 1855, Translated by Braj Ranjan Mani & Pamela Sardar in the A Forgotten Liberator, the Life and Struggle of Savitribai Phule [2008] reproduced by the Savari Editorials 'Mang Maharachya Dukhvisayi' or About the Grief of the Matang and the Mahars".
- Garud Sachin, Mukta Salve: First Voice of Dalit Feminism,[No date has given to these publications] The Academia, The Velivada
- Aqsa Khan: Remembering Fatima Sheikh – A Woman Lost In History [2017] Feminism in India
- Mandal Dilip: Why Indian history has forgotten Fatima Sheikh but remembers Savitribai Phule [2019] The Print
- Jotirao Phule: Shetkaryaca Asud translated as Cultivator’s Whipcord by Gail Omvedt and Bharat Patankar [2010] Round Table India
- Narake Hari, Savitribai Phule: Kal Aani Kartutva [1998]; Shatkanchi Shidori Savitribai Phule; Maharashtra Rajya Sahitya Aani Sanskruti Mandal, Mumbai
Resources on Mukta Salve, Fatima Shaikh and Savitribai Phule
