Ela Ramesh Bhatt was an Indian cooperative organiser, activist and Gandhian, who founded the Self-Employed Women's Association of India in 1972, and served as its general secretary from 1972 to 1996.
19 Facts About Ela Bhatt
2.
Ela Bhatt was the chancellor of the Gujarat Vidyapith from 7 March 2015 to 19 October 2022.
3.
Ela Bhatt's father, Sumantrai Bhatt, was a successful lawyer, while her mother, Vanalila Vyas, was active in the women's movement and remained secretary of All India Women's Conference, which in turn was founded by Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay.
4.
Ela Bhatt started her career teaching English for a short time at SNDT Women's University, better known as SNDT, in Mumbai.
5.
Ela Bhatt went to Israel where she studied at the Afro-Asian Institute of Labour and Cooperatives in Tel Aviv for three months, receiving the International Diploma of Labor and Cooperatives in 1971.
6.
Ela Bhatt was very much aware that thousands of female textile workers worked elsewhere to supplement the family income, but state laws protected only industrial workers and not these self-employed women.
7.
Ela Bhatt was particularly involved in The Elders' initiative on equality for women and girls, including on the issue of child marriage.
8.
In February 2012, Ela Bhatt travelled to Bihar, India with fellow Elders Desmond Tutu, Gro Harlem Brundtland and Mary Robinson.
9.
Ela Bhatt died on 2 November 2022, at the age of 89.
10.
Ela Bhatt has served as Chair of the SEWA Cooperative Bank, of HomeNet, of the International Alliance of Street Vendors, and was formerly on the board of directors of WIEGO.
11.
Ela Bhatt was granted an honorary Doctorate degree in Humane Letters by Harvard University in June 2001.
12.
Ela Bhatt held honorary doctorates from Yale and University of Natal.
13.
Ela Bhatt was awarded the civilian honour of Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1985, and the Padma Bhushan in 1986.
14.
Ela Bhatt was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 1977 and the Right Livelihood Award in 1984.
15.
Ela Bhatt was chosen for the Niwano Peace Prize for 2010 for her work empowering poor women in India.
16.
Ela Bhatt was honoured with the prestigious Radcliffe Medal on 27 May 2011 on Radcliffe day for her efforts in helping uplift women, which has had a significant impact on society.
17.
In November 2011, Ela Bhatt was selected for the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development 2011 for her lifetime achievements in empowering women through grassroots entrepreneurship.
18.
Ela Bhatt said, "I have a lot of heroes and heroines around the world and one of them is Ela Bhatt, who started an organisation called the Self-Employed Women's Association in India many years ago".
19.
Ela Bhatt's book has been translated in Gujarati, Urdu, Hindi and is currently being translated in French and Tamil.