It is called the ‘Oxford of the East’ and is on the verge of becoming a smart city, but the epithets that Pune has earned seem to be in name only. The country’s first all-women’s school, which is housed at Bhidewada in Budhwar Peth in Pune, lies in a shambles.

The school was founded on January 1, 1848 by Savitribai and her husband Jyotirao Phule. Yet, so many are blissfully ignorant about the history of this crumbling structure that they are not even aware of its existence even though it is located in the heart of the city. Today, instead of being a symbolic monument for women’s empowerment, it lies in a pathetic condition with crumbling walls, broken pillars, a dilapidated wooden staircase and empty liquor bottles.