2/ Over the years, the narrative has shifted with activists and leftist circles lauding Fatima Sheikh as the first Muslim woman teacher who worked alongside Savitri Bai Phule in establishing the first schools for girls. This legacy was further bolstered when Google celebrated her 191st birthday with a doodle in 2022. However, on January 9, author and activist Dilip Mandal made a startling claim: Fatima Sheikh, as widely described, never existed. Mandal admitted to creating her as a fictional character for narrative-building purposes, confessing that her name and story were fabricated. According to him, no historical or literary records mention her, including the works of Jyotiba Phule, Savitri Bai Phule, or even Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.