Pratapsinh Bhosale started first school for women in India: Udayanraje Bhosale

Mumbai: In what sparked off a political issue in Maharashtra, BJP MP Udayanraje Bhosale, a member of the Satara royal family, on Friday claimed that Pratapsinh Bhosale started the first school for women in India and Mahatma Phule and Savatribai Phule emulated it.

Udayanraje is the 13th descendent of legendary Maratha warrior-king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Mahatma Jyotiba Phule (11 April, 1827 – 28 November, 1890) and Savatribai Phule (3 January, 1831 -10 March, 1897) have made significant contributions to India’s history.

The Phule-couple is credited with starting the first girls' school at Bhide Wada in Budhwar Peth area of Pune on 1 January, 1848.

Pratapsinh Bhosale (18 January 1793 – 14 October 1847) was the eighth Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire.

Udayanraje’s statement came on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Phule on Friday.

“If you examine it closely, Mahatma Phule embodied the ideals of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, particularly in promoting communal harmony and social equality. He was a forward-thinker and economist who dedicated his entire wealth to the upliftment of society,” Udayanraje said.

“Thorale (senior) Pratapsinh Bhosale had set up a women’s school within his palace in Satara, long before Mahatma Phule’s widely acknowledged initiative…from one viewpoint, Mahatma Phule emulated Pratapsinh Bhosale in promoting education for women,” Udayanraje said.

However, the Maharashtra Congress took serious objections to the statements of Udayanraje.

“The statement is mischievous and misleading. It is unfortunate that attempts are being made to rewrite history. The contributions of Jyotiba and Savitribai Phule to the cause of women’s education are monumental and well-recorded. It was Jyotiba Phule who even rediscovered Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s samadhi at Raigad Fort,at a time when it was deliberately being concealed,” Sapkal said.