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{{short description|Founder of the Self-Employed Women's Association of India (SEWA)}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Ela Bhatt
| image = MJ-Ela-Bhatt-October-2013.jpg
| caption = Ela Bhatt, October 2013
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1933|9|7}}
| birth_place = [[Ahmedabad]], [[Bombay Presidency]], [[British Raj|British India]]
| nationality = [[Indian people|Indian]]
| education = B.A., LL.B.; Diploma of Labor and Cooperatives;
| alma_mater = Sarvajanik Girls High School, [[Surat]]; M.T.B. College, [[Surat]]; Afro-Asian Institute of Labor and Cooperatives, [[Tel Aviv]]
| occupation = Lawyer, philanthropist
| organization = [[Self-Employed Women's Association of India|SEWA]], [[The Elders (organization)|The Elders]]
| known_for = founded [[Self-Employed Women's Association of India|SEWA]]
| spouse = Ramesh Bhatt
| awards = [[Padma Shri]], [[Padma Bhushan]], [[Ramon Magsaysay Award]], [[Right Livelihood Award]], [[Niwano Peace Prize]], [[Indira Gandhi Prize|Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development]]
| website = {{URL|sewa.org/}}
}}

'''Ela Ramesh Bhatt''' (born 7 September 1933) is an [[Indian Co-operative Network for Women|Indian cooperative]] organiser, activist and [[Gandhian]],<ref>{{cite news|last1=Duncan|first1=Natricia|title=Empowering Indian women through employment|url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2014/jun/27/female-empowerment-india-cooperative-unions|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=27 June 2014}}</ref> who found the [[Self-Employed Women's Association of India]] (SEWA) in 1972, and served as its [[general secretary]] from 1972 to 1996. She is the current [[Chancellor (education)|chancellor]] of the [[Gujarat Vidyapith]]. A lawyer by training, Bhatt is a part of the [[Labour movement|international labour]], [[cooperative movement|cooperative]], women, and [[micro-finance]] movements and has won several national and international awards, including the [[Ramon Magsaysay Award]] (1977), [[Right Livelihood Award]] (1984) for "helping home-based producers to organise for their welfare and self-respect" and the [[Padma Bhushan]] (1986).<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web |url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |title=Padma Awards |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India |date=2015 |access-date=July 21, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6U68ulwpb?url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |archive-date=15 November 2014 |df=dmy }}</ref>

==Early life and background==
Ela Bhatt was born at [[Ahmedabad]] in India. Her father, [[Sumantrai Bhatt]], was a successful [[lawyer]], while her mother, Vanalila Vyas, was active in the women's movement and also remained [[secretary]] of [[All India Women's Conference]], which in turn was founded by [[Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay]]. Second of three daughters, her childhood was spent in the city of [[Surat]], where she attended the Sarvajanik Girls High School from 1940 to 1948. She received her [[Bachelor of Arts degree]] in English from the M.T.B. College ([[South Gujarat University]]) in [[Surat]] in 1952. Following graduation Ela entered the Sir [[L.A. Shah Law College]] in [[Ahmedabad]]. In 1954 she received her degree in law and a Gold Medal for her work on [[Hindu law]].<ref name=ramon>{{cite web | title = Awardees Biography | url = http://www.rmaf.org.ph/newrmaf/main/awardees/awardee/biography/331 | access-date = 15 December 2013 | publisher = Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160610230624/http://www.rmaf.org.ph/newrmaf/main/awardees/awardee/biography/331 | archive-date = 10 June 2016 | url-status = dead }}</ref>

==Career==
Bhatt started her career teaching English for a short time at [[SNDT Women's University]], better known as [[SNDT]], in [[Mumbai]]. In 1955 she joined the legal department of the [[Textile Labour Association]] (TLA) in [[Ahmedabad]].

===TLA and SEWA===
In 1956, Ela Bhatt married Ramesh Bhatt (now deceased). After working for sometime with the [[Gujarat government]], Ela was asked by the TLA to head its women's wing in 1968. In this connection she went to [[Israel]] where she studied at the Afro-Asian Institute of Labor and Cooperatives in [[Tel Aviv]] for three months, receiving the International Diploma of Labor and Cooperatives in 1971. She was very much influenced by the fact that thousands of female textile workers worked elsewhere to supplement the family income, but there were state laws protecting only those who were solely industrial workers and not these self-employed women. So with the co-operation of Arvind Buch, the then president of TLA, Ela Bhatt undertook to organise these self-employed women into a union under the auspices of the Women's Wing of the TLA. Then in 1972 the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) was established with Buch as president and she served as its general-secretary from 1972 to 1996.<ref name=weigo/>

===The Elders: 2007–present===
On 18 July 2007 in Johannesburg, South Africa, [[Nelson Mandela]], [[Graça Machel]], and [[Desmond Tutu]] convened a group of world leaders to contribute their wisdom, independent leadership and integrity to tackle some of the world's toughest problems. Nelson Mandela announced the formation of this new group, [[The Elders (organization)|The Elders]], in a speech he delivered on the occasion of his 89th birthday.

“This group can speak freely and boldly, working both publicly and behind the scenes on whatever actions need to be taken," Mandela commented. "Together we will work to support courage where there is fear, foster agreement where there is conflict, and inspire hope where there is despair.”

[[Kofi Annan]] serves as Chair of The Elders and [[Gro Harlem Brundtland]] as Deputy Chair. The other members of the group are [[Martti Ahtisaari]], Ela Bhatt, [[Lakhdar Brahimi]], [[Fernando Henrique Cardoso]], [[Jimmy Carter]], [[Hina Jilani]], Graça Machel, [[Mary Robinson]] and [[Ernesto Zedillo]]. Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu are Honorary Elders.

The Elders work globally, on thematic as well as geographically specific subjects. The Elders' priority issue areas include the [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict]], the [[Korean Peninsula]], [[Sudan]] and [[South Sudan]], [[sustainable development]], and [[Women's rights|equality for girls and women]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theelders.org/our-work |title=The Elders: Our Work |publisher=TheElders.org |access-date=7 March 2013}}</ref>

Ela Bhatt is particularly involved in The Elders' initiative on equality for women and girls, including on the issue of [[child marriage]]. In February 2012, Bhatt travelled to [[Bihar]], India with fellow Elders Desmond Tutu, Gro Harlem Brundtland and Mary Robinson. Together, the Elders visited Jagriti, a youth-led project aimed at preventing child marriage, and encouraged the state government's efforts to tackle the issue.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theelders.org/article/elders-momentum-building-tackle-child-marriage-india |title=The Elders: Momentum is building to tackle child marriage in India |publisher=TheElders.org |date=9 February 2012 |access-date=7 March 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theelders.org/article/welcoming-my-fellow-elders-india |title=Welcoming my fellow Elders to India | author=Ela Bhatt|publisher=TheElders.org |date=6 February 2012 |access-date=7 March 2013}}</ref>

A [[Gandhism|Gandhian]] practitioner of non-violence, Bhatt also travelled to the Middle East with Elders delegations in August 2009<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/28/world/middleeast/28bilin.html |title=In Village, Palestinians See Model for Their Cause |author=Ethan Bronner |work=New York Times |date=28 August 2009 |access-date=7 March 2013}}</ref> and October 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://articles.cnn.com/2010-10-21/world/israel.jerusalem.flashpoint_1_jerusalem-mayor-nir-barkat-palestinian-mother-palestinian-man?_s=PM:WORLD |title=East Jerusalem residents, 'Elders' meet |publisher=CNN.com |date=21 October 2010 |access-date=7 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101111090527/http://articles.cnn.com/2010-10-21/world/israel.jerusalem.flashpoint_1_jerusalem-mayor-nir-barkat-palestinian-mother-palestinian-man?_s=PM%3AWORLD |archive-date=11 November 2010 |df=dmy }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=191636 |title='The Elders' call to lift Gaza blockade |work=Jerusalem Post|date=17 October 2010 |access-date=7 March 2013}}</ref> In a blog post written for The Elders' website following the group's visit to [[Gaza City|Gaza]] in October 2010, Bhatt stated that non-violent struggle against injustice requires "more hard work than fighting" and that "it is the coward who uses weapons."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://theelders.org/article/what-would-gandhi-say |title=What would Gandhi say? |author=Ela Bhatt |publisher=TheElders.org|date=19 October 2010 |access-date=7 March 2013}}</ref>

The Elders are independently funded by a group of donors: Sir [[Richard Branson]] and Jean Oelwang ([[Virgin Unite]]), [[Peter Gabriel]] (The Peter Gabriel Foundation), [[Kathy Calvin|Kathy Bushkin Calvin]] (The [[United Nations Foundation]]), [[Jeremy Coller]] and Lulit Solomon (J Coller Foundation), Niclas Kjellström-Matseke (Swedish Postcode Lottery), Randy Newcomb and Pam Omidyar (Humanity United), [[Jeff Skoll]] and Sally Osberg ([[Skoll Foundation]]), Jovanka Porsche (HP Capital Partners), Julie Quadrio Curzio (Quadrio Curzio Family Trust), Amy Towers (The Nduna Foundation), Shannon Sedgwick Davis (The Bridgeway Foundation) and Marieke van Schaik ([[Nationale Postcode Loterij|Dutch Postcode Lottery]]). [[Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau|Mabel van Oranje]], former CEO of The Elders, sits on the Advisory Council in her capacity as Advisory Committee Chair of ''Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://theelders.org/about/donors |title=The Elders: Donors|publisher=TheElders.org |access-date=7 March 2013}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Ela Bhatt married Ramesh Bhatt in 1956, subsequently the couple had two children, Amimayi (b. 1958) and Mihir (b. 1959).<ref name=ramon/> She currently lives in [[Ahmedabad]], Gujarat with her family.

==Awards and recognition==
She was one of the founders of [[Women's World Banking]] in 1979 with [[Esther Afua Ocloo|Esther Ocloo]] and Michaela Walsh, and served as its chair from 1980 to 1998. She has served as Chair of the SEWA Cooperative Bank, of HomeNet, of the International Alliance of Street Vendors,<ref>{{cite web|title=International Alliance of Street Vendors|url=http://www.streetnet.org.za/english/default.htm/|access-date=30 October 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704071338/http://www.streetnet.org.za/english/default.htm|archive-date=4 July 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref> and is former a board of directors of [[WIEGO]].<ref name=weigo>{{cite web| title = WIEGO Board of Directors Bios|publisher= WIEGO| url = http://wiego.org/wiego/wiego-board-directors-bios | access-date = 15 December 2013 }}</ref> She was also a trustee of the [[Rockefeller Foundation]].

She was granted an honorary Doctorate degree in Humane Letters by [[Harvard University]] in June 2001. In 2012, she received a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa from [[Georgetown University]] and an honorary doctorate from [[Université libre de Bruxelles]] in Brussels, Belgium.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130227002303/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-05-12/ahmedabad/31678973_1_ela-bhatt-big-ben-sewa "Three cheers for Gujarat’s big ben,"] Times of India, Ahmedabad, 12 May 2012. Available at</ref> She also holds honorary doctorates from Yale and University of Natal.

Ela Bhatt was also awarded the civilian honour of [[Padma Shri]] by the Government of [[India]] in 1985, and the [[Padma Bhushan]] in 1986. She was awarded the [[Ramon Magsaysay Award]] for Community Leadership in 1977 and the [[Right Livelihood Award]] in 1984.

She was chosen for the [[Niwano Peace Prize]] for 2010 for her work empowering poor women in India.

On November 2010, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton honoured Bhatt with the Global Fairness Initiative Award for helping move more than a million poor women in India to a position of dignity and independence.

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.

In November 2011, Ela Bhatt was selected for the [[Indira Gandhi Prize|Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development]] 2011 for her lifetime achievements in empowering women through grassroots entrepreneurship.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130517195209/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-11-20/india/30421873_1_ela-bhatt-indira-gandhi-prize-sewa Ela Bhatt selected for Indira Gandhi Prize] ''Times of India.'' 20 November 2011.</ref>

In June 2012, US Sectretary of State [[Hillary Clinton]] identified Ela Bhatt as one of her 'heroine'. She 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]] (SEWA) in India many years ago".<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130225215804/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-06-22/us/32368182_1_ela-bhatt-sewa-state-hillary-clinton Ela Bhatt is Hillary Clinton's 'heroine'] ''Times of India.'' 22 June 2012.</ref>

==Writings==
Bhatt's book has been translated in [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], [[Urdu]], [[Hindi]] and is currently being translated in French and [[Tamil language|Tamil]].

* Bhatt, E. R. (2006). ''We are poor but so many: the story of self-employed women in India''. Oxford, Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0-19-516984-0}}
* Bhatt, E.R. (2015). [http://www.e-shabda.com/Anubandh-Ela-Bhatt-Research-English-9788172296759 Anubandh : Building Hundred Mile Communities]. Ahmedabad, Navjeevan Publishing House. {{ISBN|9788172296759}}<ref>{{Cite web|title = Ela Ben's '100-mile communities'…|url = http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/sunday-special/columns/ela-ben-s-100-mile-communities-/167067.html|website = tribuneindia.com|access-date = 2015-12-08|date = 2015-12-06}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*''India’s 50 Most Illustrious Women'' ({{ISBN|81-88086-19-3}}) by Indra Gupta

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.sewa.org/ SEWA.org, Official website]
* [http://www.cultureunplugged.com/play/5839/Interview-with-Ela-Bhatt Ela Bhatt – Truthseeker, an interview with Culture Unplugged]
* [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/07/world/asia/07bhatt.html?_r=1 An Empire for Poor Working Women, Guided by a Gandhian Approach] ''NY Times Profile''
* [http://nrcw.nic.in/shared/sublinkimages/109.htm Biography, National Resource Centre for Women, Government of India]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160610230624/http://www.rmaf.org.ph/newrmaf/main/awardees/awardee/biography/331 Biography of Ela Bhatt on the official site of the Magsaysay award]
* [http://www.theelders.org/elders/ela-bhatt Ela Bhatt's biography on The Elders' website]

{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Social Work}}
{{Footer Niwano Peace Prize laureates}}
{{PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 1980–89}}
{{RMA winners of India}}
{{The Elders}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhatt, Ela R.}}
[[Category:1933 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Scholars from Ahmedabad]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in social work]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in social work]]
[[Category:Officiers of the Légion d'honneur]]
[[Category:Ramon Magsaysay Award winners]]
[[Category:Cooperative organizers]]
[[Category:Indian women activists]]
[[Category:Gandhians]]
[[Category:Nominated members of the Rajya Sabha]]
[[Category:Indian microfinance people]]
[[Category:Gujarat University alumni]]
[[Category:Social workers]]
[[Category:Gujarati people]]
[[Category:Indian social entrepreneurs]]
[[Category:Indian women educational theorists]]
[[Category:Indian women's rights activists]]
[[Category:Indian independence activists from Gujarat]]
[[Category:Businesswomen from Gujarat]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women scientists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian educational theorists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian businesspeople]]
[[Category:Women educators from Gujarat]]
[[Category:Educators from Gujarat]]
[[Category:Women Indian independence activists]]
[[Category:Social workers from Gujarat]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Ahmedabad]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian businesswomen]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Four Freedoms Award]]
[[Category:20th-century women educators]]
[[Category:Women members of the Rajya Sabha]]

Ela Bhatt - Revision history

->Certes at 12:48, 6 November 2021