True Indology

@TrueIndology

12 Tweets • 2023-01-03 •  See on Twitter

rattibha.com 

A Bengali Hindu widow named Hotee established a

School in Varanasi for ALL women. She taught Poetry,
Law, Mathematics and Ayurveda. She was awarded
the title "Vidyalankar" by Kashi Pandits.

This was BEFORE Savitribai Phule was even born.

First Indian female teacher who?

India has had a very rich tradition of female teachers
right from the Vedic age.

Why is this entire history and tradition intentionally

buried to glorify a British Missionary Savitribai Phule
as the first female teacher of India?
Harkunwar Sethani was an orthodox Jain lady. She
built Maganlal Karamchand School for girls in
Ahmedabad. The construction was started in 1847
(completed 1850) which was one year BEFORE
Savitribai Phule's "school".

Why are hundreds of women like them ignored to hail

Savitribai?
Savitribai Phule wrote many poems glorifying British
rule and Jesus Christ. (p/c @onkarmantra).

Women like Hotee Vidyalankar & Harkunwar Sethani

had no agenda. They did not betray their country by
joining hands with white colonialists.

But they are completely forgotten

From newsportals to journalists. From activists to
politicians. We see everyone regurgitating this
falsehood every year.

Savitribai Phule was NOT the first female teacher of

India. She was also NOT the first woman to start a
female school for girls.
"Another Brahmana lady Hoti Vidyalankar was so
erudite that like other eminent male scholars, she
appeared in the meeting of Pandits and discussed
Shastric matters".

Source: Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar,a story of his life

and work ( Subal Chandra Mitra 1902)
William ward, a contemporary Englishman, writes
about Hoti Vidyalankar in his book published in 1811.

He says-"At length Hoti began to teach others, &

obtained a number of pupils from all over the country.
She is now universally known as Vidyalankara"
(learning is her ornament)

"Hoti Vidyalankar, an 18th century Child widow of

Kulin Hindu brahmana family, was proficient in
Sanskrit literature, philosophy and law. She ran a
chatuspathi (center of learning) in Benares"

- Historical dictionary of Bengalis (Library of

congress 2013) by Kunal Chakrabarti
"Exceptional women like Hoti Vidyalankar ran their
own schools early in the 19th century. ...it would be a
mistake to think Bengali women of 19th century were
uneducated".

- Feminizing Political Discourse, Women and the

Novel in India, 1857-1905 (Jasbir Jain, 1997)
Even the poor Chatbot is not safe from propaganda
Caveat: The pic in first tweet is an ancient drawing.

No reader with any intelligence would think that

ancient cave art represents a 19th century woman. No
extant pictures/paintings exist of Hoti. I chose this
painting for my thread to represent ancient educated
women of India
It is very telling that there is NOT a SINGLE
picture/Painting of Hoti Vidyalankar ANYWHERE
(online libraries/books/internet) whereas millions of
depictions exist for Savitribai Phule.

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