By Express News Service
AHMEDABAD: Renowned activist Ela Bhatt who was the founder of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) passed away on Wednesday. She was 89.
She was the recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1977, the Right to Livelihood Award in 1986, and the Padma Bhushan in 1986 for her work in empowering impoverished women in Gujarat.
Ela Bhatt was also serving as the chairperson of the Sabarmati Ashram since 2016.
Until recently, for seven years, she had served as the chancellor of the Gujarat Vidyapith. She stepped down from the post on 19 October due to failing health.
The Vidyapith, which is over 100 years old, was founded by Mahatma Gandhi and he himself had been its first chancellor.
Elaben Bhatt was born on 7 September 1933. Her father Sumantrai Bhatt was a successful lawyer while her mother Vanalila Vyas was active in the women’s movement and was the secretary of the All India Women’s Conference founded by Kamladevi Chattopadhyay,
After studying law in Ahmedabad, she worked for the government for a while before joining the textile labor union TLA (Textile Labour Association)
Ela Bhatt founded SEWA in 1972 and served as its general secretary from 1972 to 1996.
She was involved in many movements related to international labour, and women’s issues.
In an interview with the Berkley Center, Ela Bhatt described what led her to start SEWA. “I became more and more aware, as I worked with the unionized (textile) labour, of the much larger labour force that was outside the purview of the protective labour laws, of any form of social security, access to justice, access to financial services, anything. That tugged at my heart. And those people were unorganized and had no strength to act to seek remedies.”
She also served as a Rajya Sabha MP and an adviser to the World Bank. In 2007, she had joined the Elders, a group of world leaders founded by Nelson Mandela to promote human rights and peace.
Ela Bhatt had married Ramesh Bhatt in 1956. Their two children Amimayi (1958) and Mihir (1959) live in Ahmedabad.
Expressing grief over the death of Ela Bhatt, Gujarat BJP chief CR Patil said, “The news of the death of Padma Bhushan Elaben Bhatt was Painful. Elaben Bhatt remained a lifelong activist for the upliftment of women, and her services to make women self-reliant will always be an inspiration. I pray that God may grant peace to his departed soul.”
Extremely saddened by the passing away of renowned Gandhian & founder of SEWA, Ela Bhatt ji.A Padma Bhushan recipient and a pioneer of women’s rights, she devoted her life in empowering them through grassroots entrepreneurship.Her exceptional legacy shall always inspire. pic.twitter.com/OjtQoOeEgj
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) November 2, 2022
“Extremely saddened by the passing away of renowned Gandhian & founder of SEWA, Ela Bhatt ji. A Padma Bhushan recipient and a pioneer of women’s rights, she devoted her life in empowering them through grassroots entrepreneurship. Her exceptional legacy shall always inspire,” Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge wrote on Twitter.
AHMEDABAD: Renowned activist Ela Bhatt who was the founder of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) passed away on Wednesday. She was 89.
She was the recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1977, the Right to Livelihood Award in 1986, and the Padma Bhushan in 1986 for her work in empowering impoverished women in Gujarat.
Ela Bhatt was also serving as the chairperson of the Sabarmati Ashram since 2016.
Until recently, for seven years, she had served as the chancellor of the Gujarat Vidyapith. She stepped down from the post on 19 October due to failing health.
The Vidyapith, which is over 100 years old, was founded by Mahatma Gandhi and he himself had been its first chancellor.
Elaben Bhatt was born on 7 September 1933. Her father Sumantrai Bhatt was a successful lawyer while her mother Vanalila Vyas was active in the women’s movement and was the secretary of the All India Women’s Conference founded by Kamladevi Chattopadhyay,
After studying law in Ahmedabad, she worked for the government for a while before joining the textile labor union TLA (Textile Labour Association)
Ela Bhatt founded SEWA in 1972 and served as its general secretary from 1972 to 1996.
She was involved in many movements related to international labour, and women’s issues.
In an interview with the Berkley Center, Ela Bhatt described what led her to start SEWA. “I became more and more aware, as I worked with the unionized (textile) labour, of the much larger labour force that was outside the purview of the protective labour laws, of any form of social security, access to justice, access to financial services, anything. That tugged at my heart. And those people were unorganized and had no strength to act to seek remedies.”
She also served as a Rajya Sabha MP and an adviser to the World Bank. In 2007, she had joined the Elders, a group of world leaders founded by Nelson Mandela to promote human rights and peace.
Ela Bhatt had married Ramesh Bhatt in 1956. Their two children Amimayi (1958) and Mihir (1959) live in Ahmedabad.
Expressing grief over the death of Ela Bhatt, Gujarat BJP chief CR Patil said, “The news of the death of Padma Bhushan Elaben Bhatt was Painful. Elaben Bhatt remained a lifelong activist for the upliftment of women, and her services to make women self-reliant will always be an inspiration. I pray that God may grant peace to his departed soul.”
Extremely saddened by the passing away of renowned Gandhian & founder of SEWA, Ela Bhatt ji.
A Padma Bhushan recipient and a pioneer of women’s rights, she devoted her life in empowering them through grassroots entrepreneurship.
Her exceptional legacy shall always inspire. pic.twitter.com/OjtQoOeEgj
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) November 2, 2022
“Extremely saddened by the passing away of renowned Gandhian & founder of SEWA, Ela Bhatt ji. A Padma Bhushan recipient and a pioneer of women’s rights, she devoted her life in empowering them through grassroots entrepreneurship. Her exceptional legacy shall always inspire,” Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge wrote on Twitter.
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