Women’s Rights Activist, Padma Bhushan Recipient Elaben Bhatt Passes Away at 89

Nov 2, 2022: Renowned women’s rights activist, lawyer, founder of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), and Padma Bhushan recipient Ela Bhatt passed away on Wednesday at the age of 89.

Elaben is known for founding SEWA, one of the biggest women’s cooperatives and national trade unions registered in 1972 which arose out of textile trade union. SEWA boasts a membership base of 2.1 million poor, self-employed women workers from informal sectors across 18 states and units abroad.

Born in 1933, Bhatt grew up in Surat and graduated from MTB Arts College. A year after obtaining her law degree, Bhatt joined the legal department of the oldest union of textile workers called the Textile Labour Association (TLA) in 1955. TLA had been formed in 1920 in the wake of a textile workers’ strike spearheaded by Mahatma Gandhi.

Bhatt has also served as the chairperson of the Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust (SAPMT). Inspired by Gandhiji, she had founded SEWA which then went on to set up a cooperative bank in 1974 to provide small loans to women.

She was appointed a Rajya Sabha MP and served in the position until 1989. She was also a key advisor to organizations such as the World Bank.