Hundreds of followers of Jyotirao Phule thonged Mahatma Phule Wada in Pune's Ganj Peth area on his birth anniversary to pay tribute to the notable social reformer recalling his towering contribution to social justice and empowering the downtrodden.
Pune Guardian Minister Chandrakant Patil also visited Phule Wada, and Bhide Wada and paid floral tribute to the reformer.
The 19th-century reformer worked tirelessly for the empowerment of deprived communities and was joined by his illustrious wife Savitribai Phule in the cause, especially in promoting education among women.
Situated in the Ganj Peth area of Pune, Phule Wada was once the abode to visionary reformers Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule. It was built in 1852 and the place has been converted into a museum with photographs of Mahatma Phule and Savitribai. It was illuminated with lighting on the occasion.
Unity Misal Pav
The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) arranged special buses on occasion for visitors to Phule Wada from different areas of the city.
As a part of the celebration at Phule Wada, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Jayanti Committee organised the program of free distribution of "misal pav" which was prepared by internationally renowned chef Vishnu Manohar. Chandrakant Patil also joined Manohar for a while as he prepared the dish. The dish which was made in 5000 kg quantity, was distributed to the people who came to pay tribute at Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Wada.
As a part of the celebration at Phule Wada, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Jayanti Committee organised the program of free distribution of "misal pav" which was prepared by internationally renowned chef Vishnu Manohar. | Twitter/ @ChDadaPatil
Chandrakant Patil also joined Vishnu Manohar for a while as he prepared the dish. | Twitter/ @ChDadaPatil
Celebration in Pimpri Chichwad
While in Pimpri Chinchwad, "Vichar Prabodhan Parva" was inaugurated by Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation chief Shekhar Singh. While Chandrakant Patil was the chief guest of the program and Bhimrao Yashwant Ambedkar who is the grandson of Dr BR Ambedkar and chief of the Buddhist Society of India was also present.
Singh also garlanded the statue of Phule in the Savitribai Phule Samarak.
On the occasion of the birth anniversaries of Jyotirao Phule and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, the PCMC has organized this 5-day program. Various speakers from the state and abroad along with local and state-level artists will participate in this program. On the first day of the program Shahir Shital Sathe and Sachin Mali's program “Navayan Mahajalsa” won the hearts of the audience and after that, the one-act play "Me Jyotirao Phule Boltoy" which narrated the life journey of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule was presented by Kumar Aher.
Director Mahesh Manjrekar, Nagraj Manjule, and actor Siddharth Jadhav also participated in a symposium on the role of films and Phule-Ambedkar's vision of an egalitarian society.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday paid tributes to noted social reformer Jyotirao Phule.
Modi tweeted, "On his birth anniversary, I bow to Mahatma Phule and recall his towering contribution to social justice and empowering the downtrodden. His thoughts give hope and strength to millions." The prime minister also posted a clip of his earlier speeches lauding Phule and his contribution to society.
