Today is #GuruPurnima, and therefore a short thread 🧵about Savitribai Phule, regarded as the first female teacher in India and also widely referred to as the mother of Indian feminism.
PC- Malvika Asher
She was married at the age of 10 to Jyotirao Phule, who was 13 at the time. Both belonged to "lower caste" & hence didn't have access to education.
However, through sheer grit & determination, supported by Jyotirao, Savitribai completed her education.
(photo credit: @Velivada)
She started teaching girls and by the age of 20 was running three schools with Jyotirao. The curriculum was different from what was taught in government schools at the time and was inspired by the western curriculum of mathematics, science, and social studies.
The Phule methods were regarded as being superior to those used by then government schools. As a result of this reputation, the number of girls receiving their education at the Phule’s schools outnumbered the number of boys enrolled in government schools.
Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule’s success came with much resistance from the local community.
Savitribai often travelled to her school carrying an extra sari because she would be assailed by her conservative opposition with stones, dung, and verbal abuse.
Together with her husband, she taught children from different castes and opened a total of 18 schools.
The couple also opened a care centre called Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha ("Child-killing Prohibition Home") for pregnant rape victims & helped deliver and save their children.
She also played an important role in the success of Jyotirao Phule’s institution Satyashodhak Samaj that fought for equality of all castes.
PC- Malvika Asher
The good @bakarmax_ created a crossover comic between Tarantino's Django Unchained & a badass Savitribai called Dalit Unchained.
Awake, arise and educate
Smash traditions-liberate!
We’ll come together and learn
Policy-righteousness-religion,
Slumber not but blow the trumpet
O Brahman, dare not you upset.
Give a war cry, rise fast
Rise, to learn and act - Savitribai Phule
What you normally see is the cropped version of the photograph (usually on a t-shirt).
This is the full photo of Ernesto "Che" Guevara. It has another person and a palm tree, both of which were thankfully removed.
This iconic photograph was taken during the memorial service for the victims of the French vessel, La Coubre. The ship exploded in the Havana harbour the day before, killing hundred people and injuring many others.
This is Che and chums walking to the cemetery in protest.
Most people think that Dhundiraj Govind Phalke was the first one in 1913, but some others say that it was actually Ramachandra Gopal Torne before him in 1912.
In this thread(🧵) we explore why we have the Dadasaheb Phalke award instead of the Dadasaheb Torne award.
Dhundiraj Govind "Dadasaheb" Phalke released what most people consider the first Indian film, Raja Harishchandra" in 1913.
He is known as the Father of Indian cinema and The award outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema is named after him.
Ramachandra Gopal Torne, also known as "Dadasaheb" Torne is also a contender to be the Father of Indian Cinema.
Born on 13th April 1890, today is his 130th birth anniversary.
With US supreme court overturning Roe v Wade and leaving abortion decisions to individual states, we try to look at another country which had similar issues to grapple with - Ireland.
And how a dentist from Karnataka became the face of that struggle.
Abortion had been illegal in Ireland since the birth of the state. In 1983, an amendment to the law made the status of the unborn child as equal to that of the mother.
It was made following a referendum in which over two-thirds supported it, though on a turnout of 53%.
Well off women needing abortions would travel to England to get the abortions done.
There was a phrase used 'She Got the Boat' to indicate that a person has gone to England to get an abortion done.
Today’s time of extreme polarization, we need something that unites us. Back in 1990, a TV program aired for the first time which tried to show that India is a rainbow with many colours.
We are talking about Surabhi.
A thread about the show. 👇
The genesis of Surabhi was the friendship of Siddharth Kak and VP Singh. When VP Singh became the Prime Minister, he wanted to have more programs on culture and current affairs. He asked Siddharth Kak for ideas.
Siddharth, then known as a documentary filmmaker wanted to make a documentary on the Gharanas of India.
A secretary at the I&B ministry suggested the idea of being in one place for one segment of the show, and another in the next. 'You will cover so much of India, like a rainbow'