Elaben Bhatt: SEWA Founder & Women’s Right Activist Passes Away At 89

Many talk about changing the world, however, there are only a handful who get to transform it. Ela Ramesh Bhatt, popularly called Elaben, was one of them. She passed away on November 2 in Ahmedabad. The 89-year old social and women’s rights activist is survived by her children.

Who Is Elaben Bhatt?

She was the founder of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA). She started the organisation in 1972 to help the self-employed be a part of the Women’s Wing of the Textile Labour Association (TLA). In 1979, she co-founded the Women’s World Banking and acted as a trustee of the Rockefeller Foundation.

She was a woman who never saw age as a barrier to following her passion to impact change. At the age of 60, she was reportedly taking music classes. Her family members shared that she used to practise for hours.

Elaben Bhatt: A Feminist Icon

Image Courtesy: Wikipedia

SEWA is a widely recognised organisation in India as well as abroad. Its popularity has brought Elaben many awards and accolades from renowned universities like Yale and Harvard.

About 50 years ago, Bhatt started it to help poor, unrecognised, and marginalised women gain recognition. TLA was initially dominated completely by men, however, it was Elaben who convinced them to set up a separate union for women.

While many women still cannot reach beyond their internalised patriarchy, Bhatt became a feminist icon at a time when women were discouraged to recognise their worth in a man’s world.

She abided by the Gandhian codes - simple lifestyle, communal harmony, and khadi clothes. She met thousands of women in her lifetime and taught them the virtues of sisterhood.

Elaben was known to be a jubilant person with high moral standards. She was a champion of women's empowerment.

Elaben Bhatt On Women Being Financially Independent

Ela Bhatt wrote a book, We Are Poor But So Many: The Story of Self-Employed Women in India. An excerpt from it reads, “A sea change comes over the women once they see money building in their bank accounts. They feel more self-confident knowing they have a cushion to fall back on.”

Elaben was also involved with The Elders and their initiative on equality for women and girls, including child marriage. With her work, she changed the perception of many who only viewed women as people confined to the four walls of households. They started including women among policy-makers and administrators.

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Elaben Bhatt’s Awards & Accolades

Image Courtesy: The Elders

In 1985, Bhatt was awarded the Padma Shri, and in 1986, she received the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award in India.

In 2001, Elaben received an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letter from Harvard University. In 2011, the social activist won the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament, and Development.

In 2012, Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, said, “I have met a lot of heroes and heroines around the world and one of them is Ela Bhatt.”

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She was an inspiration to the world and women everywhere. We hope that her work continues to inspire people around the world to keep fighting for gender equality and equity.

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