We are Savitribai

Savitribai Phule, born on January 3, 1831, pioneered education for women and the oppressed castes in 19th Century India. File pic

With a new year ahead of us, we inch closer to nearly two centuries since one of modern India's first female teachers, Savitribai Phule, was met with a barrage of sticks, stones and mud for attempting to educate women," social worker and artist Aishwarya Deep reminds us. At an all-women art showcase tomorrow in Dadar, Deep will relook at mud, but only as a medium to tell her story of using art and poetry to wade her way out of oppression in her hometown in Indapur, Pune.

"When I first moved to Mumbai decades ago to leave my abusive household behind, I found my voice in Warli art," shares the 34-year-old. The tribal art form appealed to her because in warli artworks, one cannot differentiate between a man and a woman, the rich and the poor, the backward castes and the privileged. "Isn't that what Savitribai yearned for till her last breath?" says the first-generation graduate in her family. As an educational counsellor now, Deep has helped nearly 20 young women who share similar stories find educational opportunities in institutions like SNDT and Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University.

Traditional Warli artwork created by Aishwarya Deep

Providing a platform to women like Deep who continue to live by Phule's words is Deepali Vandana, co-founder of Urja Trust. Having grown up in the lanes of Kamathipura, Vandana recalls revisiting Phule's literary works to chart a way out of what she calls a "bavandar" or ‘whirlpool' of atrocities. "We may imagine today's conditions to be much more progressive than when Phule began her journey, but we aren't that far apart," she remarks. But rest assured, the organisation is taking one step at a time every day to change that. "We might be separated by time, but with the anniversary showcase, we want to remind the world that Savitribai's ideas are still as relevant," she adds.

Women gather at the Dadar venue for a previous celebration

As Deep showcases her art, the words of the revolutionary will echo in the Trust's compact venue, quite literally, through activist Sushma Tambe's lokgeet or folk songs that shed light on Phule's legacy. Tambe has a courageous teacher to thank, herself. "In the humble housing colony in Khar where I grew up, children would gather to learn Hindustani classical music under the tutelage of an experienced vocalist. I was fascinated, but I couldn't afford the R100 monthly fee, of course," she recalls. It might be courtesy of this guru who took her under his wing for a token fee of R15, that Tambe will be able to inspire a new batch of young women through her music tomorrow.

Sushma Tambe in performance; Deepali Vandana and Aishwarya Deep

Long, or rather soon, after the applause for Tambe's songs or Deep's artworks fades away and the curtains are drawn on the event, Vandana knows that the next group of young women who find themselves at her Dadar office, seeking refuge from their oppressive households, are not far behind. "The times are changing, but if it is for the good, I don't know. With more enticing distractions all around us, the stories of these women are easy to overlook. But as long as the world remembers Savitribai, we believe there is a sliver of hope for them," she signs off.

ON January 3; 4 pm onwards
AT Urja Trust, near Ranjit Film Studio, Dada Saheb Phalke Marg, Dadar East.
LOG ON TO @urjatrust (to register)
ENTRY RSVP mandatory