Hindu Social Reform - The Framework of Jotirao Phule

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

This study examines the approach of Mahatma Jotirao Govindrao Phule (1827-1890), the foremost social reformer and thinker as well as one of the nation-builders of modern India, with regard to the issue of Hindu social reform in India.

Dr. S K Chahal was born on 6 September 1968 in Rohtak city of Haryana State, India. Having about 28 years' experience of teaching and research at different universities, Dr. Chahal is presently working as Professor & Chairman, Department of History, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra.

About ten year ago, when Mahatma Jotiba Phule Chair was founded by Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra in the Department of History and its charge was handed over to me keeping in view my interest in Dalit Studies, I discovered that very little had been writ ten on the social reform movement launched by Mahatma Jotirao Govindrao Phule (1827-1890) who was, as a matter of fact, the most radical reformer of nineteenth century India and has rightly been called as the 'father of Indian social revolution'. I was surprised to know that most of the professional historians (including stalwarts like Charles H. Heimsath) who have dealt with the subject of Indian/ Hindu social reform, have either ignored the reform movement of Phule or have made just passing remarks about it in their respective researches. While conducting the academic activities of the Mahatma Phule Chair, I started my initial investigation in Phule's framework of Hindu social reform. Finally, I planned a research project on the theme. The Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), Shimla generously offered me its prestigious Fellowship for this project, for which, I want to express my sincere feelings of gratitude.

The objective of the present study is to make an historical, compar ative and critical analysis of the framework of Hindu social reform as proposed by Jotirao Govind Phule (1827-1890), a radical social reformer of nineteenth century Maharashtra, who visualized Hindu society free from Brahmanic hegemony and exploitation. Phule showed extreme concern for the suppressed sections of Hindu soci ety and started a crusade against 'Brahmanism' and the 'slavery' it imposed upon the Shudras, Atishudras and women for centuries. It is pertinent to note here that while inscribing his famous historical work, Who were the Shudras, to the memory of Mahatma Phule, Dr. Bsbasaheb Ambedkar (1891-1956), the chief architect of Indian Constitution and another champion of the weaker sections in modern India, describes him as "the greatest Shudra of modern India who made the lower classes of Hindus conscious of their slavery to the higher classes and who preached the gospel that for India social democracy was more vital than independence from foreign rule."¹ This tribute sheds sufficient light on the historic contribution of Phule in the field of Hindu social reform. His contribution could be understood by recognition of the fact that he initiated a new tradi tion of radical social reform in India, which was further strengthened by Ambedkar and later came to be known as the 'Phule-Ambedkar tradition of social reform'.

**Contents and Sample Pages**