Padma Vibhushan awardee and social activist Ela Bhatt who played a key role in empowering the women of India towards social and economic development

An eminent social activist in India, who did important work toward the social and economic development of the women of India. She played an important role in empowering women.

She has played a leading role in the rights of women workers. Along with this, she fought for women's rights through many campaigns.

We are talking about social activist Ela Bhatt who was honored with the second-highest civilian award Padam Vibhushan.

On 2 November 2022, at the age of 89, she breathed her last in a hospital in Ahmedabad. And a great soul merged in the divine.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday (2 November 2022) condoled the demise of the women's rights activist. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel also expressed grief over her demise.

In 1972, Ela Bhatt founded the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), a women's trade union. More than 12 lakh women are its members. She founded the Sewa Co-operative Bank in 1974.

Ela Bhatt has been honored with many awards. She received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1977.

In 1986, he was awarded the Right Livelihood Award. She was also honored with the Padma Bhushan Award by the Government of India.

Let us know, the life journey of Ela Bhatt…

Early Life

Ela Bhatt was born on September 7, 1933, in Ahmedabad. Her father's name was Sumantrai Bhatt, and he was a successful lawyer. Mata Vanalila Vyas was active in women's movements.

Ela Bhatt's family members also participated in India's freedom struggle. Her maternal grandfather was involved in Mahatma Gandhi's Salt Satyagraha and also went to jail for it.

Most of her childhood was spent in Surat. She received her early education from 1940 to 1948 at the 'Public Girls' High School, Surat.

In 1952 she completed her bachelor's degree at M.T.B. College, Surat.

After this Ela Bhatt took admitted to Ahmedabad's Sir L.A. Shah Law College and completed her law degree there in 1954.

She was awarded a gold medal for her commendable work on Hindu law.

Career and Social Service

Ela Bhatt was greatly influenced by Gandhiji's thoughts. After teaching English at the Smt. Nathi Bai Damodar Thackeray Women's University for some time, she joined the Law Department of the Textile Labor Association in Ahmedabad in 1955.

Today the monopoly of men remains in the labor movement and labor unions of India. But Anasuya Sarabhai was also a woman who established the first trade union in India. In 1968, Ela Bhatt took over the leadership of the Women's Cell of the same Textile Workers Union, established in 1954.

There she got inspiration to work in the interest of working women and she moved forward with determination to give them self-reliance.

She focused her attention on the interest of women's self-reliance. She formed the 'Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA). Where she provides counseling and information to self-employed women.

She established the Seva Sansthan with only seven members. Today more than thirteen lakh women are associated with it.

In 1971, migrant women porters pulling handcarts and carrying heavy loads in an Ahmedabad market sought Ela Bhatt's help in search of a roof over their heads.

Ela Bhatt noticed that all these women are forced to live on the open road and their wages are very low. He wrote on the subject in local newspapers. The cloth traders published a counter article, denying all the allegations of Ela Bhatt.

The traders claimed to pay fair wages to the women coolies. Ela Bhatt got many copies of the article on traders made and distributed it among the women coolies so that they could demand from the traders only the wages published in the newspaper. With this trick of Ela Bhatt, all the problems of the cloth merchants were removed.

He offered to talk to Ela Bhatt. In December 1971, 100 women workers gathered for this meeting and Seva Sangathan (Self Employed Women's Association) was born.

Seva Sansthan became a confluence of women's movement, labor movement and cooperative movement.

Sewa Sansthan is one of the largest women's cooperative societies and national trade unions registered in 1972.

The main goal of Ela Bhatt's organization service is to connect women with complete employment. Total employment does not mean only job; Rather, there is food-security and social security along with the job.

In 1979, she founded 'Women's World Banking'. The objective of this co-operative bank was to make women self-reliant by providing them small loans.

The WWB, a global network of microfinance organizations, was headed by Ela Bhatt from 1984-1988.

He was appointed Rajya Sabha MP where he served till 1989. She was also a consultant to organizations such as the World Bank.

She joined the Elders in 2007. The Elders is a group of world leaders founded by Nelson Mandela to promote human rights and peace. Recently, he had resigned from the post of Vice-Chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapeeth, the university established by Mahatma Gandhi.

Personal Life

During her graduation, Ela Bhatt met Ramesh Bhatt, a fearless student leader. Ela reluctantly agreed when Ramesh Bhatt invited her to work with him during India's first census in 1951 to record details of households living in slums.

Ela Bhatt knew that her parents would not like to see their daughter wandering the slums with an unknown youth. Later, when Ela decided to marry Ramesh Bhatt, her parents objected. He was afraid that his daughter would remain in poverty for the rest of her life. But despite opposition, she married Ramesh Bhatt in the year 1955.

They have two children – Amimayee and Mihir. His entire family lives in Ahmedabad only.

Awards and Honors

In 1977, Ela Bhatt was awarded the 'Magsaysay Award' in the community leadership category.

In 1984, he received the 'Right Livelihood' award by the Swedish Parliament.

Ela Bhatt was awarded the 'Padma Shri' in 1985 by the Government of India. In the very next year, in 1986, he was awarded the 'Padma Bhushan'.

In June 2001, Howard University awarded him the degree of 'Honorary Doctorate'.

Ela Bhatt has also been awarded Japan's prestigious 'Niwano Peace Prize' in the year 2010. She was given this award for the development and upliftment of poor women in India for more than 30 years and following the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.

He was also given the Gandhi Peace Prize in 2011.

He was also honored with many other awards. This includes Global Fairness Award, Radcliffe Medal, Right Livelihood Award.

Ela Bhatt will always be remembered for her work in promoting women empowerment, social service and education. Her outstanding contribution for the upliftment of women can never be forgotten.