Savitribai Phule and I

by Sangeeta Mulay

‘Savitribai Phule and I’ is a semi-historical fictional book aimed at young adults. Shabri is a shy Indian Dalit girl from a deprived village who discovers a diary written by Savitribai Phule (India’s first-generation feminist, a Dalit and first Indian credited with starting a school for young girls in India). The book details the evolution of the protagonist from a shy introvert who has faced discrimination and prejudice throughout her life to a confident feminist and activist.

This book has been published by Panther's Paw Publication. Panther's Paw Publication promotes Ambedkarite literature and an anti-caste sensibility.

Genres: Fiction

113 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Gargi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd give it to the 15 year olds I know and also people who I went to uni with who snorted four lines of meritocracy before talking about affirmative action.

Also, Can we leave UC folks writing about the Dalit experience in 2020? 🥴

[Angarika · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate the writing style and the discussion around Savitribai Phule's achievements in the sphere of women's education. The book also sheds light on the shaky and flawed foundations of the meritocratic system.

However, while the book started out on a promising note, I am disappointed with the ending (the last three chapters in particular). It is far too removed from reality and reflects the writer's lack of a lived experience.

[Shilpa Rao · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this. Yet another book I wish was made compulsory reading in schools. Women in India ought to know who they are indebted to for their education. If it wasn't for reformers like the Phules, we'd still be fighting for the right to be educated.

Read this for:
1. How reformers like the Phules are the reason why all Indian women received an education. All Savarnas, especially the Brahmins, thought it was morally wrong to educate a woman as per Hinduism. The Phules did not back down despite the bullying and harassment meted out to them, and set up India's first school for girls.
2. Casteism and it's impact on students across educational institutions.
3. The need for caste-based reservations
4. How much Indian widows owe the Phules for not being discarded and dehumanised when they lost their husbands.

[isaac⁷ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"just like jyotiba, the more i read, the more determined i became to ensure that other girls could avail themselves of this simple pleasure too. reading opened so many delicious possibilities that i genuinely feel sorrow for those unable to participate in this activity. i would tell all the women i met, what an enjoyable activity reading was. i encouraged them to request their husbands to teach them so that they could enjoy a book too."

i was curious about savitribai phule when my prof told me about the brahmanical reality of teacher's day and how everyone just blindly follows it. she told me that many people in indian academia celebrate teacher's day on jan 3 instead (her birth anniversary). there's so much wrong with our indian education system in general. i never ever learnt about phule in school let alone heard her name. anyway, i think this is required reading. or just anything that panther's paw publishes in general.

[Vinayak Hegde · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5* A very interesting way of writing a narrative. The story is written with a female protagonist in the current era intertwined with historical fiction (the diary of Savitribai Phule written about 200 years back - She was one of the first women to open a school for educating girls). The parallels in their story and the the eventual linking of both the protagonist (Shabari) and her inspiration (Savitribai Phule) was very interesting. Definitely worth reading for the content and the the narrative style.

[Aruna Kumar Gadepalli · Rating 5 out of 5]

The narrative style is interesting. Bringing about awareness about the Savitribai Phule and the way the writer introduced is interesting.

[Karunya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm glad that I was able to read this powerful book about the woman who started India's first school for girls and also became the country's first female teacher among other mind boggling achievements. Her story should be in text books across the country not just in Maharashtra. It's shocking how things haven't changed a whole lot since the 1800s and we the UC folks have been happily ignorant if not directly guilty. A lot left to unlearn, question and call out.

[Shruti Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple story about Shabri who is from the Dalit community. She joined school because her father thought she will at least get a FREE meal there. Then she goes on to study engineering and realizes that city life is an altogether different world, in complete contrast to her village where there was no electricity. She faces backlash from her peers and teachers because she has grabbed a 'category' seat. Her biggest shock comes when she fails all subjects and realizes that she needs help. All the 'general' category students can take tuitions because they have the money to spare. But she can't afford it, so she goes to her HOD to help her with extra lessons. He mocks her and gives her a lecture about how she didn't deserve to be here in the first place. Shabri is at the point of breaking down, also plans to commit suicide when she stumbles upon 'Savitribai Phule's Diary'. After that the story is interspersed with bits about Savitri's and Jyotiba's attempt to educate girls. Savitri's struggle (she too was a Dalit) gives her hope and she decides to fight back.

I liked the diary entries of Savitribai Phule (which is of course fiction). I myself was unaware of the contributions of Savitribai Phule in educating girls. And that's the whole point of this book-- women's work is sidelined and it never receives media's attention. On top of that a Dalit women's work for the upliftment of the society. I really liked the book and how it weaves the topic of Dalit oppression into a simple story.

[Ribhav Pande · Rating 3 out of 5]

An extra star for the idea.

The idea is a story of a young, ‘lower caste’ girl from rural India moving to the city for her education. She finds a diary written by Savitribai Phule and the story mirrors the diary somewhat. She is inspired, comforted and emboldened by the diary and navigates her Uni life accordingly.

The author’s main reasons for writing this book were to throw light on the necessity of reservations and to offer a feminist perspective. This could have been an article— the book’s format does nothing to further this idea.

The author belongs to the ‘privileged Maratha caste’ and writes a letter of apology to the readers, being a UC writer. This is a good acknowledgment. But the problem is that in the context of caste specifically, which is one of the two main themes of the book, there was no lived experience of the author to reflect. And this was apparent.

The book touches on some important themes beyond the intersectionality of caste and feminism. It tries to highlight privilege, the conditions leading to Dalit students’ suicides, the risks of active politics and more. The idea of the book is interesting, but its execution falls quite short of its ambitious goal.

[Divya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a beautiful little book that conveys so much in so simple a manner, a unique narrative style, and of course the highly relevant and important topic of caste privilege, caste oppression, feminism, and the infallible work of Savitri and Jyotiba Phule.

I'm glad the author wrote this and that it was rightly published by Panther's Paw Publication dedicated to dalit bahujan literature. Please buy this book, support them, and have your world enriched by the words in these pages!

[Amarjeet Mehto · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fictional book to put the story of great Savitribai Phule for a layman to understand and realise her innumerable contribution through starting to educate girls/woman with very first school for girls in India even under insurmountable resistance from the orthodox of those times.
Her story needs to be told, to every Indian and more so to every women/girl.

Along with pointing about the current facets of discrimination prevailing in educational institutes, the inequality among our people of different caste and people's apathy towards it.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Semi fictional biography of a feminist icon

Two parallel stories. Savitribai Phule and a young Dalit student. Tackles issues of casteism and classism. My only grouse is that Fatima Sheik has been completely erased.

[Nilesh Kokare · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I finished reading this sweet and inspiring book. Every year numerous students belonging to the Dalit communities comes from poor backward villages or from villages where they are always discriminated and segregated by people belonging to the upper castes —where they do their schooling in their regional languages— and takes admissions in colleges in the cities crossing all the big and tough hurdles the casteist society throws their way —and which is a huge accomplishment in itself— only to be again discriminated by the privileged casteist upper caste/class students and also by their institution's casteist upper-caste management in various painful ways which leads to the cruel and awful feeling of isolation and which also impacts their mental health severely —sometimes forcing them to take an extreme step. And this is the story —only worse— of many, many, many Dalit students every year. And one such story is of Shabri, the Dalit protagonist in the book. She also finds herself in one such dark time — only to be rescued and inspired by India's first feminist and humanist Savitrimai Phule. And, inspired, she too sets herself on a beautiful mission amidst all the obstacles inspiring everyone around her including me. So, if you want to sniff a sense of what discrimination and difficulties poor Dalit students suffer through in casteist institutions and also know in gist about the life of the truly inspiring icon 'Savitrimai Phule', read this beaut. It's a short, easy, quick and inspiring read.

[Madhuri Kamat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Savitribai Phule and I is written in a simple style and also provides one of the few and perhaps the only fictional takes that involve one of India’s foremost social reformers. The epistolatory style fuses well with the story and the passages on Savitribai Phule do not interrupt its flow. The subject of caste discrimination is also brought out in its full ramifications going beyond the outward to the impact it has on mental and emotional well-being. It will hopefully serve as a wake-up call for those of us who are more privileged. It also offers pointers on how social movements can be initiated and built and can be a primer for those not in the know of social action. Shabri is also portrayed realistically wherein she constantly questions herself and at one point beset with fear withdraws completely from the movement she started. Through Shabri, it is shown how those who seek to strike a new path are often also physically intimidated and the emotional toll it can take. Read more https://www.indiavidyakhazana.com/202...

[Meera Budhiraja · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a very important book that must be read, not only because it has a very powerful message but because it's so inspiring, so moving and full of hope that it makes me want to read it again. Also I loved the brevity of it, making it so readable.
The book made you aware how merit equalled privilege which belonged to an upper caste person and therefore the necessity of reservations for the lower caste.
Also this little book showed society from a feminist perspective, the journey both of Shabri, a lower caste village girl who comes to a urban setting, with the tag of being a reservation candidate; and Savitribai Phule, who becomes Shabri's hero when she stumbles upon the latter's diary and learns of the struggles of Savitribai Phule who despite her caste and gender made great strides.
Lastly and most importantly the book makes you aware of the greatness of Savitribai Phule who despite so many odds not only received education herself but pioneered women's education in India.
The book has an engaging plot that keeps you hooked till the end! Highly recommended!

[Shivani Shinde · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a simple read which gives you the viewpoint of a Dalit and the struggles they have to navigate in today’s world while also giving you a brief lesson in history about Savitribai Phule and her contribution to women’s right to education. I would recommend this book to young readers who want to know more about caste.

[Zeba Zoariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read

This has been a very inspirational read. My first, from the world of Dalit feminist literature. Ever grateful that I discovered this on Ambedkar Jayanti on 14 April 2021.

[Indrani · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that needs to be read by all. I had never heard of Savitribai Phule before my book club chose this book.

[Sanchita · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, evocative read that highlights how radical thinkers have made a difference in people's lives generations later.

[Sudakshina · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was such an inspiring book. Let not this name be forgotten! We owe it to her and her husband.

[Sonalee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book! I picked it up because of its cover and Savitri Mai's name, but it has not disappointed. The monologues are hard hitting, the portrayal of the subtle and overt casteism in colleges is a hundred percent true.
I love the protagonist's journey which goes on to show exactly how important inclusivity in every walk of life is. 10/10 would recommend!

[Aswathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about Savitribai Phule's influence on someone's life? Yes please!
I'm glad I found this.