Every morning she carried a spare sari, because conservative crowds waited to throw stones and cow dung at her as she walked to work. Her crime was teaching girls to read. This deep dive explores the life of Savitribai Phule, widely recognized as India's first formally trained female teacher and a pioneer of its feminist movement.

Born in 1831 into a marginalized community, she learned to read in secret and used formal teacher training as a societal loophole. With her husband and allies across caste and religion, she built schools, shelters, and a movement that fused the fight against patriarchy with the fight against caste.

• Learning to read in the fields and enrolling in formal normal schools
• Opening India's first girls' school in 1848 with a provocative curriculum
• Being cast out of her home and building a cross- ...