Fatima Sheikh

Widely considered to be the first female Muslim teacher in India 1848, Fatima Sheikh was born in June. She and her brother, Usman Sheikh, gave shelter to the Phules after they were evicted from their home for trying to educate people of lower castes.

During this time, the Indigenous Library was started in their premises in 1848, and she and Savitribai began teaching women and children who were denied an education because of their class, religion or gender.