India, April 11 -- Jyotirao Phule, also known as Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, was a social reformer, thinker, and political activist. Born on April 11, 1827, in Khatgun village in Maharashtra's Satara district, Phule belonged to the Mali community, which is now listed as an Other Backward Class in Maharashtra. He dedicated his life to promoting education and social equality, and abolish caste based discrimination in pre-independent India.

Along with his wife Savitribai Phule, Jyotirao Phule established the first women-only school in the country in 1848, which became a landmark step in promoting women's education in the face of widespread public opposition. In 1875, Phule founded the Satyashodhak Samaj, or the Truthseekers Society, which dedica...