Thousands bid tearful adieu to Ela Bhatt

Anar Patel, daughter of Uttar Pradesh governor and former Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel, and her husband Jayesh Patel who heads the Harijan Ashram Trust, former Congress MP Sandeep Dikshit, danseuse Mallika Sarabhai, Sabarmati Ashram trustee Kartikeya Sarabhai were among those at the funeral.

Chairman of the Congress Central Election Authority, and former MP Madhusudan Mistry who has been associated with Bhatt for over 50 years, was also present.

The Sabarmati Ashram Preservation Memorial Trust (SAPMT), of which Bhatt was the chairperson, prayed for “eternal peace for her soul”.

In a note, SAPMT secretary Amrut Modi wrote that Bhatt’s “perseverance in observing ecosystem of Gandhian thoughts, preserving Gandhian values and approach to taking all stakeholders together was noteworthy”.

Thousands took part in Bhatt’s funeral held in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

Bhatt served as a trustee of SAPMT from July 1, 2014, and as chairperson of SAPMT from October 15, 2016.

The SAPMT’s statement of tribute signed by Amrut Modi, stated that Bhatt “strived to unite the women and labourers of the lower strata of society for the betterment of society as a whole” and further acknowledged her contributing “enormously in the areas of women empowerment, organisation and advancement through her world-famous organisation SEWA”.

“Keeping Elabehn Bhatt’s life, work and associations in mind, SAPMT prays for eternal peace for her soul and pays a hearty tribute to her. Let her life and work be an inspiration for the current and future generations,”  it added.

SEWA, the organisation of which Bhatt was the founding member, stated, “A gentle revolutionary, Elaben led the movement for women’s economic empowerment in India, inspiring many across sectors, governments, and borders. A strong believer in Gandhian values, she firmly believed in the power of organising, uniting women, and building sisterhood and solidarity.”

The statement by SEWA added that the organisation is “committed to and strives to take forward her unfinished work, and work towards our collective dream of a world free of poverty and inequality”.

“For the world, she was a powerhouse, an institution builder, a visionary. For us, simply our ben, showing us the way forward with gentle persuasion. Her rich legacy is carried forward by every grassroot woman leader that she has nurtured, the women’s cooperatives that she has nourished, and the institutions and movements she has built,” SEWA stated.