Jyotirao Phule begins tutoring Savitribai at home

In early 1840s Maharashtra, educating a woman—especially one belonging to a lower caste—was considered a severe violation of orthodox Hindu religious law. Brahmanical doctrines strictly forbade women and Shudras from receiving formal education or reading sacred scriptures. Anyone challenging these ancient orthodox social boundaries risked intense public harassment, family exile, and social boycott within the city of Pune.

Shortly after their marriage, Jyotirao Phule took the radical step of educating his young wife, Savitribai, at their home in Pune. Beginning around 1841, Jyotirao taught her the basics of the Marathi script, arithmetic, and elementary reading while she balanced household responsibilities and work on the family farm. To avoid immediate outrage from conservative neighbors and family elders, much of her early instruction was conducted covertly.

Jyotirao believed that educating women was fundamental to challenging societal oppression and caste supremacy. Recognizing Savitribai's aptitude and eagerness to learn, he encouraged her to pursue formal teacher training. Savitribai subsequently enrolled in teacher training programs at Ms. Farar's Institution in Ahmednagar and Cynthia Farrar's school in Pune, becoming one of the earliest formally trained Indian female educators.

This home-tutoring process laid the foundation for Savitribai's historic career as a pioneer of female literacy in India. Equipped with education and critical thinking, she and Jyotirao opened the historic Bhide Wada school for girls in Pune in 1848, alongside activist Fatima Sheikh. This informal home education initiative sparked a historic movement that revolutionized access to public education across modern India.