Long before policy documents spoke of inclusion and access, Indian women educators were already living these ideals. Savitribai Phule, India’s first woman teacher, walked to school amid social hostility so that girls could learn to read, write and think. Her work was not merely about literacy; it was about dignity and resistance. Fatima Sheikh, her lesser-known but equally courageous collaborator, opened her home as the first school for girls, reminding us that educational reform often begins...