India, Sept. 5 -- Teacher's Day is not just a tribute to educators but also to reformers who saw education as liberation. Foremost among them is Savitribai Phule, India's first female teacher, who defied hostility to champion girls' education

Teacher's Day is a sacred occasion to honour those who shape the destiny of our nation through knowledge. On this day, it is only fitting that we recall the extraordinary contributions of Savitribai Phule (1831-1897), the first female teacher of India and a revolutionary reformer who challenged age-old prejudices to lay the foundation for women's education in our country.

At a time when the education of women was frowned upon and often violently opposed, Savitribai Phule, alongside her husband Maha...