Mridula Sarabhai

A pioneering Indian labor rights activist and feminist who championed workers' rights and gender equality in the 20th century.

Mridula Sarabhai (1888–1970) was an Indian social reformer and labor organizer who fought for workers' rights, women's empowerment, and social justice during India’s struggle for independence. Born into a prominent family in Gujarat, she joined her brother Vallabhbhai Patel in advocating for India’s freedom. Sarabhai founded the Ahmedabad Textile Labour Association (ATLA) in 1918, one of India’s first labor unions, which secured better wages and working conditions for textile workers. She also co-founded the Narmada Mandir, a women’s welfare organization, and played a key role in the 1936 Textile Workers Strike, which Gandhi called a "model of nonviolent resistance."

Sarabhai’s advocacy extended beyond labor to gender equality. She organized women into cooperatives to improve their economic independence and lobbied for legal reforms to protect women’s rights. Her leadership in the Indian National Congress and her collaboration with Jawaharlal Nehru positioned her as a bridge between grassroots activism and national politics. Post-independence, she worked on housing and education reforms, establishing the Modern School, Baroda to promote progressive education. Though overshadowed by male contemporaries, her legacy is preserved in works like "Indian Women in the Struggle for Independence". Her contributions remind us that social justice requires both structural reform and grassroots mobilization.