Ela Bhatt
Ela Ramesh Bhatt ( born September 7, 1933, Ahmedabad, India) is the founder of SEWA and was Indian parliamentarian. It belongs to the group Global Elders.
Biography
Ela Bhatt was born the second of three daughters in a medium-sized Indian family in Ahmedabad. Her maternal grandfather, who was arrested several times, was a physician and followed Mahatma Gandhi. Her mother was involved in the women's movement, her father had a thriving law firm. Ela Ramesh spent her childhood in Surat. After Sarwajanik Girls High School from 1940 to 1948, she completed the 1952 Gujarat University with a bachelor's degree in English from. She studied law and was awarded a gold medal in 1954 for her work on Hindu law. The teaching of English at the Shrimati Nathibai Thackersey Damodardas Women's University in Bombay she was not satisfied. She joined the legal department of the textile workers union in Ahmedabad. In 1968 she took the lead their women's division. In 1972, she founded the Self Employed Women 's Association, SEWA as a trade union for self-employed women, which today has the 1 million members. In her self-employed women are organized, who have no regular income and benefits in India. The goal is to bring women into a full-time job. Also founded Bhatt et al the sister organization Shree Mahila Sewa Sahakari Bank Ltd.. In 1979 she was co-founder president of Women's World Banking.
From 1986-1988 Bhatt was the President of India, was appointed as a member of the Upper House of the Indian Parliament, the Rajya Sabha.
In 2007 she was appointed as a founding member of the Global Elders.
Bhatt is married to Ramesh Bhatt since 1956. They have two children, Amimayi (* 1958) and Mihir (* 1959).