Slavery: Collected Works of Mahatma Jotiba Phule

The Government of Maharashtra has decided to celebrate the year 1990-91 as the death-centenary year of Mahatma Jotirao Phule—with due solemnity. As part of the said centenary, the Government also decided to publish the Collected Works of Mahatma Phule in English— in a number of volumes.

The Government, therefore, constituted the Mahatma Phule Death Centenary Committee which organised a number of functions and activities throughout the year 1990-91 to mark the occasion.

I am happy to present the First Volume of the Collected Works of Mahatma Phule—namely ‘ Slavery '. This was published in Marathi in 1873. The full title of the book runs as follows :—

“ Slavery (in the Civilised British Government under the cloak of
Brahmanism)—exposed by Jotirao Govindrao Phule (1873).”

The prescience of Jotirao is reflected in the ‘ Dedication ’ of this slender booklet. Jotirao dedicated this book to “ the good people of the United States as a token of admiration for their sublime, disinterested and self-sacrificing devotion in the causes of Negro Slavery ”.

Jotirao hated slavery in any form. Physical slavery is bad enough, but the Slavery of the mind and spirit—perpetrated in the name of Religion upon the Shudra and Ati-shudra inhabitants of India down the ages is a blot on the fair name of Hinduism. Jotirao pours ridicule and contempt upon the Aryan interlopers for their tyranny.

Jotirao hoped that his countrymen will be inspired by the noble example of the American people to undo this wrong by emancipating the Shudra and Ati-shudra “ from the trammels of Brahmin thraldom ”.

The Centenaiy Committee entrusted the work of translating this important volumes by Jotirao into cnglish to Barrister P. G. Patil who is an eminent Professor of English and a reverent student of the philosophy of Mahatma Phule and the Satya Shodhak Movement in Maharashtra.
I do hope the younger generation of Maharashtra will study this book reverently, will imbibe its seminal teaching and will try to translate those noble ideas into their personal and social life.

By so doing, they (Vi) will blaze a new trail not only in Maharashtra but in India as a whole. This will please the soul of Mahatma Phule and will enrich and ennoble the fabric of Social and Cultural life of Maharashtra.

I have great pleasure in commending and recommending this important volume ‘ Slavery ’ by Mahatma Phule to the discerning people of Maharashtra in particular and of India in general.