Savitribai Phule and Rani Velu Nachiyar

Context: The Prime Minister paid tributes to Savitribai Phule and Rani Velu Nachiyar on their Jayanti.

Savitribai Phule

Savitribai Phule was a Maharashtra-based social reformer and educator who, along with her husband Jyotirao Phule, played a significant role in promoting women's rights in India. Here are some key points about her life and work:

- Born on January 3, 1831, in Naigaon, Maharashtra.

- Married to Jyotirao Phule at the age of 9.

- Became the first female teacher in India, opening the first school for girls in Pune in 1848.

- Started the first school for girls at Bhide Wada in Pune in 1848.

- Established the Society for Promoting the Education of Mahars, Mangs, and others.

- In 1852, the British government honored the Phule family for their contributions to education.

- In 1855, the couple started the first-ever infanticide prohibition home in India called Balhatya.

- Authored two books: Kavya Phule (1854) and Bavan Kashi Subodh Ratnakar (1892).

- Fought against dowry and other social evils that obstruct women's empowerment.

- Started teaching women and children from downtrodden castes, including Mang and Mahar.

Savitribai Phule's work has had a lasting impact on women's education and social reform in India. In 2015, the University of Pune was renamed Savitribai Phule Pune University in her honor.

Rani Velu Nachiyar

- Rani Velu Nachiyar was the 18th-century queen from Sivagangai district in Tamil Nadu, known for her fight against British rule to recapture her kingdom.

- She was born on January 3, 1730, in Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu, and died on December 25, 1796, in Sivaganga, Tamil Nadu

- Velu Nachiyar was the princess of Ramanathapuram and the only child of King Chellamuthu Nachiyar. She was trained in various combat methods, including war match weapons usage, martial arts like Valari, Silambam, horse riding, and archery.

- She was a scholar in many languages and was proficient in languages like French, English, and Urdu.

- Velu Nachiyar married the king of Sivagangai, with whom she had a daughter. When her husband, Muthu Vaduganatha Periyavudaya Thevar, was killed in a battle with EIC soldiers in 1780, she was drawn into the conflict.

- Velu Nachiyar was the first Indian queen to wage war with the East India Company in India. She is known by Tamils as Veeramangai, which means "brave woman".

- She was the first queen to fight against the British colonial power in India and is regarded as a significant figure in the Indian independence movement.

- Velu Nachiyar is also credited as the first person to apply a human bomb.

- She is remembered for her bravery and her contributions to the fight against British colonial rule in India.