Establishment of Care Home for Pregnant Widows

In mid-nineteenth-century Maharashtra, orthodox societal norms imposed harsh penalties on widows, particularly young Brahmin women forced into child marriages who were subsequently widowed. Denied remarriage, subjected to forced tonsure, and isolated in domestic domesticity, these women frequently fell victim to sexual exploitation within patriarchal households. Pregnant widows faced social ostracization or severe violence, often driving them to suicide or forcing them into desperate acts of infanticide to protect their families' social standing.

To confront this human tragedy, Jyotirao Phule, alongside his wife Savitribai Phule, established the Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha (Infanticide Prohibition Home) in Pune in January 1863. Operating directly out of their own residential residence in Ganj Peth, the home offered sanctuary, medical care, and food to pregnant widows regardless of their caste or religion. The Phules distributed handbills throughout Pune and surrounding villages, assuring complete anonymity and safety to any woman seeking refuge, guaranteeing that her identity would remain undisclosed.

Savitribai Phule personally managed the day-to-day operations of the home, assisting in deliveries and providing maternal care. In 1874, a Brahmin widow named Kashibai gave birth to a son at the home. The child was adopted by Jyotirao and Savitribai, who was named Yashwantrao and raised as their legal heir. Yashwantrao was later educated as a doctor, demonstrating the Phules' lifelong commitment to dismantling hereditary caste hierarchies and gender-based discrimination.

The establishment of the care home had immediate and far-reaching impacts. It directly saved hundreds of infants and vulnerable women from physical violence and social destruction, providing a revolutionary operational model for institutional social welfare in India. By openly defying priestly taboos surrounding social purity, widowhood, and childbearing, the care home turned abstract social reform into radical, direct humanitarian practice.