CM Revanth Reddy Unveils Phule Statues at Necklace Road
Synopsis
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy unveiled statues of social reformers Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule at Imax Circle on Hyderabad's Necklace Road on 14 August 2026, the eve of Independence Day, in a ceremony rich with social-justice symbolism.
Key Takeaways
Revanth Reddy personally presided over the statue unveiling ceremony on 14 August 2026 .
The statues of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Smt Savitribai Phule were installed at Imax Circle, Necklace Road, Hyderabad .
Jyotirao Phule was a pioneering 19th-century anti-caste reformer; Savitribai Phule is recognised as India's first woman teacher.
The ceremony was held on the eve of Independence Day , underlining the reformers' place in India's broader freedom narrative.
The prominent public location on one of Hyderabad's busiest corridors ensures lasting visibility for the tribute.
Two towering figures of India's social reform movement found a permanent home on Hyderabad's Necklace Road on Friday, 14 August 2026, as Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy presided over the statue unveiling ceremony of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Smt Savitribai Phule at Imax Circle, opposite HMDA Grounds.
The Phules: why these two names still electrify a crowd
Jyotirao Phule was a 19th-century Maharashtrian reformer who mounted one of the most systematic challenges to caste discrimination in Indian history — opening schools for lower-caste children and women at a time when both were actively denied education. Standing beside him, literally and historically, was Savitribai Phule, widely recognised as India's first woman teacher, who braved social hostility to run those very schools. Together, they built an intellectual and moral architecture that later reform movements — and the Indian Constitution itself — drew from heavily. Installing their statues in a prominent Hyderabad public space is not a neutral act of beautification. It is a statement.Necklace Road, HMDA Grounds, and the politics of public space
The choice of Imax Circle on Necklace Road — one of Hyderabad's most visible and high-footfall corridors — amplifies the symbolic weight of the occasion. State governments across India have long used statue unveilings of reformers like the Phules to plant social-justice signalling in the urban landscape. The audience is not just the crowd present on the day; it is every commuter, every schoolchild on a field trip, every citizen who walks past. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, who leads a Congress government in Telangana since December 2023, attended the ceremony live — a deliberate show of personal commitment to the occasion rather than delegating it to a junior minister.The eve of Independence Day
The timing sharpens the message further. The ceremony falls on 14 August, the eve of India's Independence Day — a date when the nation is already primed to reflect on the long arc from colonial subjugation to constitutional democracy. Honouring the Phules on this particular evening draws a direct line between the struggle for social equality and the broader freedom movement. That is not coincidence. That is curation.Point of View
Attending in person rather than sending a deputy signals that the party sees the Phule legacy as an electoral and ideological asset, not merely a cultural formality. Across India, the Phules have become a contested symbolic terrain, with multiple parties claiming their inheritance; Telangana's Congress is staking its claim visibly and in stone. Watch whether follow-up policy announcements — on education access or welfare schemes — give this ceremony substantive policy legs.
NationPress
14 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule?
Jyotirao Phule was a 19th-century Indian social reformer who campaigned against caste discrimination and championed education for lower castes and women. Savitribai Phule was his wife and collaborator, widely regarded as India's first woman teacher, who ran schools for girls at a time when it was deeply controversial.
Where were the Phule statues unveiled in Hyderabad?
The statues were unveiled at Imax Circle, opposite HMDA Grounds, on Necklace Road, Hyderabad , on 14 August 2026 .
Who is A. Revanth Reddy?
A. Revanth Reddy is the Chief Minister of Telangana, representing the Indian National Congress, in office since December 2023 .
Why was the ceremony held on 14 August?
14 August is the eve of India's Independence Day, a date that amplifies the symbolic connection between social reform movements and the nation's freedom struggle.
What is the significance of installing statues of the Phules in a public space?
Placing statues of the Phules in a high-visibility public location like Necklace Road signals a government's commitment to social equality and the Dalit-Bahujan reform tradition, making the tribute visible to everyday citizens rather than limiting it to official spaces.
