World Mourns Demise Of Grande Dame: Ela Bhatt, Founder Of SEWA & Womens Rights Activist Passes Away At Age 89

Ela Ramesh Bhatt, fondly known as Elaben, was a woman of many capacities and lived a lifetime serving the betterment of society. She was among the first few feminists in the country who broke through the conformist orthodoxy and connected with the global currents to create a change. As the staunch Gandhian bid goodbye to the world on November 2 at the age of 89, The Logical Indian revisits the impact she left behind on millions in the country.

A Feminist Who Acted Against The Traditional Conservatives

Elaben is best known as the founder of the trade union, Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), which works for and with a million rural, self-employed working women. Her ideation of SEWA began almost five decades back as she advocated for gender justice, women's empowerment, self-help, unionisation of poor and marginal and unrecognised women, and the power of collective bargaining.

Today, SEWA is a movement that is widely recognised and respected across the country and an initiative that brought in honours and awards from international institutions such as Harvard and Yale.

The noted women's rights and micro-finance activist had taken after her parents, who were activists in their own forte. Bhatt's father, Sumantrai Bhatt, was a successful lawyer, while her mother Vanalila Vyas was a familiar figure in the women's movement as the secretary of the All India Women's Conference. Bhatt was deeply influenced by their ideologies as well as Gandhian philosophy and thinking.

Naturally, she picked law for her college education and joined the legal department of one of the oldest unions of textile workers in Ahmedabad, the Textile Labour Association (TLA). It was with TLA that she got to associate with the self-employed women working in textile markets and collaborate with them.

Thereafter, she headed the women's wing of Majoor Mahajan Sangh, the Textile Labour Association founded by Anasuya Sarabhai and Mahatma Gandhi. Later on, she was convinced of the need for a separate women's union after having observed the orthodox men boss over the union and refusing to acknowledge the women's contributions made in the household and society.

Once, during an interview with the Berkley Centre, she said, "I became more and more aware, as I worked with the unionised 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 unorganised and had no strength to act to seek remedies." From thereon, the legacy of SEWA had begun.

Notable Works

An article by the New Indian Express quoted Ela Bhatt's grandson Rameshwar Bhatt saying, "One fails to not only put her in a category to address, but one also fails to find words potent and pithy enough to describe and approximate her work and thoughts."

Ela Bhatt had served as the chairperson of the Sabarmati Ashram since 2016 and, until recently, was the chancellor of the Gujarat Vidyapith. Both organisations are over five to ten decades old and are historically connected with Gandhi.

In her time, she had also served as a member of the Rajya Sabha, adviser to the World Bank, and the Elders -- a group of world leaders founded by Nelson Mandela to promote human rights and peace. Her contributions continue to play a key role within the Planning Commissions in the country.

She was among the key founders of Women's World Banking, Women in Informal Economy: Globalising, Organising (WIEGO) and International Alliance of Home-based Workers (HomeNet).

Most of these works brought her the recognition of the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1977, the Right Livelihood Award in 1984, the Padma Bhushan in 1986, and the Niwano Peace Prize in 2010. However, her contributions extend beyond the innumerable honoraries and titles that were awarded to her.

An Irreplaceable Loss

The American politician and diplomat Hillary Clinton took to Twitter to express her grief and wrote, "For 50 years, she helped women in India lift themselves out of poverty by granting them microloans. She was one of my heroes."

Ela Bhatt passed away today. For 50 years, she helped women in India lift themselves out of poverty by granting them microloans. She was one of my heroes.

Here's more I wrote about Ela and her life-changing work following my last visit to her in 2018. https://t.co/EnvdBYmW6X pic.twitter.com/B6sVO8E5l4

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 2, 2022

United Nations India remembered Bhatt as "a global icon, a Gandhian, an inspirational leader & relentless advocate of women workers' rights," who will inspire generations to come.

We deeply mourn the passing of Ela Bhatt, a global icon, a Gandhian, an inspirational leader & relentless advocate of women workers' rights. Recognised for her contribution to peace, justice & human rights, her legacy lives on in @SEWABharat & will inspire generations to come. pic.twitter.com/K6ZDqrMjd9

— United Nations in India (@UNinIndia) November 3, 2022

Expressing grief over the death of Ela Bhatt, Gujarat Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief CR Patil conveyed, "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."

The ambassador of France to India, Emmanuel Lenain, tweeted that his thoughts go out to the near and dear ones of Bhatt.

Deeply saddened by the passing of women's rights activist Ela Bhatt.
Recipient of 🇫🇷Légion d'Honneur, her lifelong work empowering women & organising informal sector workers impacted thousands of lives. My thoughts go out to her near and dear ones. pic.twitter.com/op7qNoErbt

— Emmanuel Lenain 🇫🇷🇪🇺 (@FranceinIndia) November 2, 2022

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge tweeted that he was extremely saddened by the passing away of the renowned Gandhian & founder of SEWA. Stating that her exceptional legacy will continue to inspire people, he joined many others who are mourning the visionary's demise.

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

Among those who joined in mourning the irreplaceable loss were Indian politicians P.Chidambaram, Rahul Gandhi, Hardeep Singh Puri, and so on.

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