Myth or reality: Who was Fatima Sheikh and why there's a controversy around her existence?

A Google doodle shared in 2022 to mark the birth anniversary of Fatima Sheikh. (Source: Google)

Fatima Sheikh, celebrated as India's first Muslim educator, was a "fabricated character", author and activist Dilip Mandal claimed on Thursday, adding that he created "a myth" and "and named her Fatima Sheikh".

Mandal's remarks came five years after he wrote an opinion piece for digital new portal 'The Print', highlighting how Indian history forgot Fatima Sheikh but remembered Savitribai Phule. The article was withdrawn by the portal shortly after Mandal's confession on social media.

The controversial confession

In an elaborate post on X that he titled 'Confession', Mandal apologized for creating a fabricated character and naming her Fatima Sheikh. "The truth is that Fatima Sheikh never existed; she is not a historical figure. Not a real person. It is my mistake that, during a particular phase, I created this name out of nothing—essentially from thin air. I did that knowingly," Mandal wrote.

He further claimed that prior to his 2019 column, "not a single entry" could be found on Google search. "No article, no book, no mention. Nothing. Interest in her vanished in 2022 when I abandoned the story of Fatima Sheikh," Mandal claimed.

Confession:I had created a myth or a fabricated character and named her Fatima Sheikh.Please forgive me. The truth is that Fatima Sheikh never existed; she is not a historical figure. Not a real person.It is my mistake that, during a particular phase, I created this name pic.twitter.com/8pHjiQXTfG
Dilip Mandal (@Profdilipmandal) January 9, 2025

While Mandal did not elaborate why he made the claims in his column published in 2019, he said it was a matter of time and circumstance. "A figure needed to be constructed for a purpose, and so I crafted one...I know the art of creating narratives, of building images. I have mastered this craft, so it was not difficult for me."

Fact or Friction?

According to Mandal, there is no mention of Fatima Sheikh in the complete writings of Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule as someone who taught alongside them. "Even Babasaheb Ambedkar never referred to such a name. No biographer of Mahatma Phule or Savitribai Phule has mentioned Fatima Sheikh. No Muslim scholar referenced this name until 15 years ago. British documents that discuss the educational efforts of the Phule couple make no mention of Fatima Sheikh either."

Mandal also claimed that a "fictional sketch" was created because there were no old photographs. However, in January 11 last year, a report in The Indian Express published what it claimed was the "only available photo of Fatima Sheikh". The photograph showed Savitribai Phule and two of their students.

It also cited a letter written by Savitribai Phule dated October 10, 1856, a document it claimed was one of the few "direct references" to Fatima in written records, found in Dr MG Mali’s compilation of Phule's writings. "I will come to Pune as soon as I am fully recovered. Don’t worry. Fatima could be struggling (working alone) but she will not complain," the letter stated, according to The Indian Express.

Evidence backing Fatima Sheikh's existence

Savitribai's letter is not the only evidence that point to Fatima's existence. The Indian Express reports that Urdu textbooks prepared by the Maharashtra textbook bureau Balbharati also included a small section on Fatima, along with those on Zakir Hussain and Syed Ahmed Khan. There is also a chapter on her life in Class 8 textbooks in Andhra Pradesh.

An old photo negative of both women sitting side by side with two female students near their feet published by the Maharashtra government.

"Fatima was Savitri’s adjutant and took over as headmistress of the school when Savitri was unwell or had to go canvassing for more girls to attend school," biographer Reeta Ramamoorthy Gupta, who published a book on the life and work of Savitribai Phule and did extensive research on Fatima as well, was quoted as saying.

"Savitri and Fatima met at Mrs Mitchell’s school in Poona where they both took English lessons. Jyotirao Phule and Usman Sheikh went to school together and they both had the same mentor in Pune, Munshi Gafar Baig, an Urdu and Persian scholar," Gupta added.

According to Gupta, Fatima came with her brother to Malegaon from Uttar Pradesh. “Due to the Agra famine of 1837-38, her family migrated to Malegaon. They were handloom textile merchants belonging to the ‘lower’ caste Julaha community. Her parents died early and her brother became her guardian. Later, when they migrated again to Poona, Munshi Gafar Baig, an Urdu and Persian scholar stood as a father figure to them,” The Indian Express quoted her as saying.

Who was Fatima Sheikh?

Fatima Sheikh has been referred to several writings as a pioneering teacher, anti-caste activist, a strong advocate of education for girls and a social reformer in 19th century Maharashtra. She has also been credited with starting the first girls' school in India alongside Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule despite strong opposition.

As per information available, Fatima and Savitribai became friends when the two were enrolled in a teachers’ training programme by American missionary Cynthia Farrar and bonded over their politics and mission to educate those who had been traditionally denied knowledge and education.

In 1848, Savitribai, Fatima and Jyotirao opened the first school for girls inside the premises of Fatima’s home in Pune. Savitribai and Fatima took on the work of teaching a small group of girls there, with the help of Farrar, who at the time was based in Ahmednagar. Other schools for Dalits and women followed, with Fatima and Savitribai going to individual families across the town in attempts to persuade them into enrolling their children.

January 9, 2025, marked the 194th birth anniversary of Fatima Sheikh. In 2022, Google Doodle commemorated her birth anniversary stating, "Fatima Sheikh was born on this day in 1831 in Pune, India. She lived with her brother Usman, and the siblings opened their home to the Phules after the couple was evicted for attempting to educate people in ‘lower’ castes. The Indigenous Library (Bhide Wada girls school) opened under the Sheikhs’ roof."