Mahatma Phule Jayanti 2025: The Third Guru Who Shaped Dr. Ambedkar’s Fight Against Caste Oppression

New Delhi – On 11th April, as the nation prepares to commemorate the 198th birth anniversary of Mahatma Jyotirao Govindrao Phule, the profound connection between Phule and Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar—affectionately called Babasaheb—has come into focus. Both fought against the caste system and dreamed of uplifting oppressed communities. Babasaheb regarded Gautam Buddha, Kabir, and Jyotiba Phule as his three gurus.

On 28th October 1954, during a speech at Mumbai’s Purandare Stadium, Babasaheb said, "I have three gurus. Everyone has a guru, so do I. I am not a saint or an ascetic, but my first and greatest guru is Buddha... I believe only Buddhism can bring welfare to the world. My second guru is Kabir... My father was a Kabirpanthi, so Kabir’s life and principles deeply influenced me. In my view, Kabir truly understood the essence of Buddha’s philosophy... Mahar, Mang, Chabar—these were taught, and Phule taught the lesson of humanity. These are my three gurus. Their teachings have shaped my life."

Let’s explore what Babasaheb said about Jyotiba Phule and the similarities between these two great reformers.

Jyotiba Phule: The Revolutionary Who Fought Brahmanism

Born in 1827 in Satara, Maharashtra, Jyotiba Phule challenged Brahmanical dominance and transformed society using education as a weapon. Alongside his wife, Savitribai, he opened the first school for girls in 1848. In 1873, he founded the Satyashodhak Samaj to dismantle caste and religious barriers. His book Gulamgiri shook societal norms.

On the other hand, Babasaheb, born in 1891 in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, carried forward Phule’s ideals. As the architect of India’s Constitution, he secured legal rights for Dalits and the oppressed.

Both viewed the Vedas and Puranas as tools of upper-caste oppression. In his book Sarvajanik Satya Dharma Pustak, Phule envisioned a religion based on equality. Similarly, Babasaheb embraced Buddhism in 1956, conveying the same message of social justice.

In 1848, Jyotiba and Savitribai Phule opened India’s first school for girls in Pune—a groundbreaking step for women’s education. Meanwhile, Babasaheb’s life mantra was "Educate, Agitate, Organize."

After signing the Poona Pact on 27th September 1932, Babasaheb said, "I pay tribute to Mahatma Phule, whose struggle against societal oppression inspired our fight for justice." This pact was a major milestone for Dalit political rights, and Babasaheb credited Phule’s influence.

At a 1940 event of the Satyashodhak Samaj in Mumbai, he declared, "Jyotiba Phule was the first Indian to raise his voice against the enslavement of Shudras and Ati-Shudras. His pen was a sword against injustice, and his life exemplified courage." He hailed Phule as the one who awakened the oppressed.

In the preface to his book Who Were the Shudras? (1946), Babasaheb wrote, "Mahatma Phule’s Gulamgiri opened my eyes to the historical deception of the caste system. He taught us that Shudras were not born to serve but were enslaved by false myths." This idea deeply influenced Babasaheb.

During the 1927 Mahad Satyagraha, when Dalits demanded the right to drink water from Chavdar Lake, Babasaheb stated, "Mahatma Phule showed us the path to break caste chains. Today, we walk that path." In 1954, visiting Phule’s home in Pune, he remarked, "This is where the seed of our freedom was sown." In his final days in 1956, during a radio message, Babasaheb said, "Mahatma Phule was the first soldier of reason and human dignity. Without him, our struggle would have remained incomplete."