Mridula Sarabhai
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mridula Sarabhai (* 6.5.1911 ; + 26.10.1974) was a Gandhian freedom fighter and activist. She was a member of the famous Sarabhai family of Ahmedabad.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
She was born (1911) in Ahmedabad, India to an affluent business family. She was one of eight children of Ambalal Sarabhai and Sarla Devi. She was homeschooled by a succession of British and Indian teachers under the supervision of her parents. Unlike her siblings, she heeded Gandhi's call to boycott foreign institutions and refused to go study abroad . She enrolled in the Gujarat Vidyapeeth in 1928, dropping out during the Salt Satyagraha
[edit] Congresswoman and Freedom fighter
At an early age, Mridula came under the influence of Mahatma Gandhi. As a child of ten, she worked with the Vanar Sena of the Congress and carried messages and water for the satyagrahis. Influenced by Jawaharlal Nehru, who was to become her lifelong friend and mentor, she helped with the organization of the Youth Conference in Rajkot in 1927. She joined the Congress Seva Dal during the Salt Satyagraha and organized the boycott of foreign cloth and British goods.
In 1934, she was elected to the All India Congress Committee as a delegate from Gujarat. Howeever, in subsequent years her independent stances caused friction with other leaders from the state. When the party refused to nominate her, she contested as an independent and won with the largest margin of votes.
She played a significant role in the organizational machinery of the Congress, heading its women's wing. She was appointed the Secretary, Sub Committee on Women's Role in the Planned Economy for the National Planning Board. The report was later used by early legislators during the drafting of the Constitution and the first few budgets.
In 1946, Pandit Nehru appointed her as one of the General Secretaries of the Congress party and a member of the Congress Working Committee. She resigned and followed Gandhiji to Noakhali when riots broke out. Her role in preserving communal harmony during the violence of partition was praised by leaders from India and Pakistan.
[edit] See also
[edit] Further reading
- Mridula Sarabhai:Rebel with a Cause by Aparna Basu (ISBN 0-19-566794-8)
