Ela Bhatt

Ela Bhatt
Bhatt in 2013
Born	(1933-09-07)7 September 1933 Ahmedabad, Bombay Presidency, British India
Died	2 November 2022(2022-11-02) (aged 89) Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Nationality	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(s)	Lawyer, philanthropist
Organization(s)	SEWA, The Elders
Known for	Founded SEWA
Spouse	Ramesh Bhatt
Awards	Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Ramon Magsaysay Award, Right Livelihood Award, Niwano Peace Prize, Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
In office 12 May 1986 – 26 September 1988
Constituency	Nominated
Website	sewa.org

Ela Ramesh Bhatt (7 September 1933 – 2 November 2022) was an Indian cooperative organiser, activist and Gandhian,^[1] who founded the Self-Employed Women's Association of India (SEWA) in 1972, and served as its general secretary from 1972 to 1996. She was the chancellor of the Gujarat Vidyapith from 7 March 2015 to 19 October 2022.^[2] A lawyer by training, Bhatt was a part of the international labour, cooperative, women, and micro-finance movements and 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).^[3]