Hailed as the first woman teacher in the country, Savitribai Phule campaigned for girls’ education, widow remarriage and fought against social evils such as untouchability. Born into a family of farmers in 1831, in Maharashtra, Savitri was married off at nine. Seeing her deep thirst for learning, Jotirao, her husband, taught her to read and write. And she went on to create history by becoming the first woman teacher in the country.

Contribution:At a time when education was considered the preserve of the Brahmin community, Savitribai and her husband Jotirao started the first school for girls in 1848 in Bhide Wada, Pune. The school had eight girls on its rolls initially. Though the couple faced a lot of opposition to their progressive ideas, they were in no mood to give up. By 1851, Savitribai was running three schools with 150 girl students. Her school gave stipends to prevent children from dropping out and imparted vocational training too.

Awards and recognition: The British government honoured the couple in 1852 for their contribution to the cause of women’s education.

The Government of Maharashtra has instituted an award in her name to honour women social reformers. Besides, a stamp was released by India Post in her honour on March 10, 1998.

All gets lost without knowledge.