Ela Bhatt shaped SEWA around a simple but radical idea that women workers, when organised collectively, can build their own institutions, secure their livelihoods, and shape their futures.
Her approach combined organising for rights with building economic alternatives through cooperatives. At its core was a commitment to self-reliance, collective strength, and work rooted in dignity.
Elaben often spoke about Anubandh, the idea of interconnectedness, where economic, social, and community well-being are not separate, but deeply linked. This continues to guide how SEWA Cooperative Federation understands and supports women’s cooperatives.
“Change, to be real, has to come from people.”
Her work reminds us that cooperative institutions are not only about enterprise. They are about how informal women workers come together, take decisions, and build systems that reflect their realities.
Today, this legacy continues through women leaders who organise, govern, and sustain their cooperatives carrying forward a model rooted in collective ownership, self-reliance, and shared responsibility.
