Eviction from home by Jyotirao's father under socio-religious pressure

Following the successful establishment of the girls' school at Bhide Wada in 1848, the anti-caste activities of Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule generated severe pushback from conservative elites in Pune. Orthodox leaders viewed the education of women and Shudra communities as a direct violation of sacred texts and traditional social orders. Unable to deter the couple through verbal attacks and physical harassment on the streets, the orthodoxy targeted the couple's family structure.

Prominent community leaders pressured Jyotirao's father, Govindrao Phule, threatening his family with complete social boycott and excommunication from their caste guild. In early 1849, under intense religious and societal pressure, Govindrao presented his son and daughter-in-law with an ultimatum: cease all educational and social reform efforts for lower castes and women, or leave the ancestral house immediately. Refusing to abandon their cause, Jyotirao and Savitribai chose eviction, leaving their home with no independent financial security or shelter.

In this moments of extreme vulnerability, support came from Usman Sheikh and his sister Fatima Begum Sheikh, who offered the homeless couple shelter at their residence in the Ganj Peth area of Pune. Usman Sheikh provided space not only for living but also for resuming their instructional work. Fatima Sheikh, who had trained in education alongside Savitribai, joined her in teaching at the newly relocated school, creating a vital alliance between anti-caste Bahujan reformers and progressive Muslim communities.

The eviction served as a crucial turning point in the Phules' life. Far from crushing their momentum, it liberated them from domestic traditional constraints and enabled them to broaden their movement. Their experience highlighted the severe cost of anti-caste activism while establishing historic cross-community solidarity in the struggle for educational access and civil rights.