Google honours Anasuya Sarabhai on 132nd birth anniversary. 10 things you should know about her

On Saturday, Google India honoured Anasuya Sarabhai on occasion of her 132nd birth anniversary. Sarabhai, the founder of the Ahmedabad Textile Labour Association, was a pioneer of the women’s labour movement in India.

Here are 10 things you must know about her

– Sarabhai was born into the Sarabhai family of Sarabhai and Godavariba, a wealthy family of industrialists. She lost her parents when she was nine, and then she and her siblings went to live with their uncle.

– She was married at 13, but it was short-lived and unhappy

– Her brother sent her to England to study. She initially pursued medicine, but switched to the London School of Economics after she realised that dissection of animals was part of the medical syllabus – something that went against her Jain upbringing.

– While in England she was involved in the Suffragette movement – a movement that fought for women to have voting rights, something that was unheard of in the early 20th century.

– When she returned home, she opened a school and worked for the betterment of women and poor.

– She got involved in the labour movement after witnessing exhausted female mill workers returning home after a 36-hour shift.

– She was …read more