The legendary Savitri Bai Phule who pioneered the field of women’s education in India was relived by famous theatre personality Sushma Deshpande at the town hall here on Sunday. Deshpande brilliantly highlighted the life and works of Phule in the play titled “Haan Main Savitri Bai Phule”.
Deshpande mesmerised the audience with her soul stirring solo performance. The play charts the journey of Savitri’s life, telling her story in her perspective. Savitri Bai Phule and her husband Jyotirao Phule worked for education of women and Dalit women as early as 1848. In the play Savitri is stunned when her husband Jyotirao asks her to get educated as it was unheard off in those times. The husband wife duo went on to open many schools to impart education to women and faced stiff resistance from a hostile society. In the play Deshpande touched the sensitive chords of education of girl child and untouchability in the society. After the play Deshpande interacted with the audience and touched upon the issues of women’s education, empowerment and social disparities which are still prevalent in today’s society. Sushma Deshpande has done more than 3000 performances of this play in the country and foreign destinations like USA, China and Britain. IN 1989 she first of all performed in the play at Pune and has even made a film based on the life and times of Savitri Bai Phule.
Deshpande is on a tour of Uttarakhand on the invitation of Azim Premji foundation (APF) and would perform at Udhamsinghnagar on April 28 and Pithoragarh on April 30.