The Sarabhai family is a prominent Indian family active in several fields. The patriarch,

Ambalal Sarabhai Ambalal Sarabhai (23 February 1890 – 13 July 1967) was an Indian industrialist, philanthropist, institution builder, and a supporter of Mahatma Gandhi. He was born in a Śvetāmbara Jain and Shrimal Jain, Shrimali family. He served as the cha ...

, was a leading

industrialist A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...

. While he created significant wealth, his children interested themselves in a wide variety of other endeavours, and the family is better known for those activities, rather than for their industrial enterprise. The family's business activities continue through Ambalal Sarabhai Enterprises.

Family history

The Sarabhai family are a major business family in India belonging to the

Shrimal Jain Shrimal (Srimal) Jain is an ancient Jain community, originally from Rajasthan, Shrimal or Bhinmal town in southern Rajasthan. They were traditionally wealthy merchants and money lenders and were prominent ministers at the court of Rajput kin ...

Bania community. Its twentieth century patriarch, Sheth

, was a Jain industrialist. He had five daughters and three sons who were involved in the family business as well as the

Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed. The first nationalistic ...

. After India's independence, the family remained involved in developmental tasks undertaken by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

. Ambalal Sarabhai was a prominent mill owner and also interested in philanthropic activities. His wife Sarladevi Sarabhai was impressed by the

Maria Montessori Maria Tecla Artemisia Montessori ( ; ; 31 August 1870 – 6 May 1952) was an Italians, Italian physician and educator best known for her philosophy of education (the Montessori method) and her writing on scientific pedagogy. At an early a ...

philosophy and in the year 1922, Montessori sent E. M. Standing to India for the

homeschooling Homeschooling or home schooling (American English), also known as home education or elective home education (EHE) (British English), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted ...

of Sarabhai children. Sarabhai Enterprises branched out after India's independence and many pioneer ventures were made in fields dominated by foreign companies. The manufacture of drugs and pharmaceuticals, chemicals and intermediates, dyes and pigments, industrial and household detergents, soaps and cosmetics, industrial packaging and containers, and later engineering and electronic products.

Family members

Prominent members of the Sarabhai family include: *

. Patriarch of the family. Born into a family of tradesmen, he invested the family wealth into various industrial enterprises in the early 1900s, including Sarabhai Textile Mills at

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...

, which was one of the largest in India at that time. * Anasuya Sarabhai (sister of Ambalal Sarabhai), a trade unionist, activist and freedom fighter. Married young, she never cohabited with her husband. *Saraladevi Sarabhai (wife of Ambalal Sarabhai) and the mother of his eight children (three sons and five daughters) **Suhrid Sarabhai Sr. (son of Ambalal Sarabhai), industrialist ***Manorama Sarabhai (wife of Suhrid Sarabhai), commissioned Villa Sarabhai ***Anand Sarabhai (son of Suhrid Sr), molecular biologist, partner of

Lynda Benglis Lynda Benglis (born October 25, 1941) is an American sculptor and visual artist known especially for her wax paintings and poured latex sculptures. She maintains residences in New York City, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Kastellorizo, Greece, and Ahmedaba ...

, American

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

and

visual artist The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics (art), ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual a ...

***Suhrid Sarabhai Jr (son of Suhrid Sr), industrialist ****Asha Sarabhai, wife of Suhrid Jr, clothing designer ***Sanjay Sarabhai (son of Suhrid Jr) ***Samir Sarabhai (son of Suhrid Jr) ** Gautam Sarabhai (son of Ambalal Sarabhai), industrialist, philanthropist, co founder & the architect of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad *** Kamalini Sarabhai (wife of Gautam Sarabhai), co founder of B.M. Institute of Mental Health ***Mana Sarabhai Brearley (daughter of Gautam Sarabhai) ****Mischa Gorchov Brearley (son of Mana Sarabhai Brearley with artist Robert Gorchov) ****Lara Brearley (daughter of Mana Sarabhai Brearley with Mike Brearley) ***Shyama Gautam Sarabhai (daughter of Gautam Sarabhai) ****Anand Zaveri (husband of Shyama Gautam Sarabhai) ****Shaan Zaveri (son of Shyama Gautam Sarabhai), real estate developer in Ahmedabad ** Mridula Sarabhai (daughter of Ambalal Sarabhai), Indian independence activist and politician; unmarried **

Vikram Sarabhai Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai (12 August 1919 – 30 December 1971) was an Indian physicist and astronomer who initiated space research and helped to develop nuclear power in India. Often regarded as the "''Father of Indian space program''", Sar ...

(son of Ambalal Sarabhai), co-founder of

ISRO The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ) is India's national space agency, headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), overseen by the Prime Minister o ...

and IIM Ahmedabad *** Mrinalini Sarabhai (wife of Vikram Sarabhai), dancer *** Kartikeya Sarabhai (son of Vikram Sarabhai), educationist and environmentalist is married to Dr Prithi Nambiar, author, academic and Senior Program Director, CEE ****Rajshree Sarabhai (former wife of Kartikeya Sarabhai), writer and director of Rajka Designs, a textile design studio ****Samvit Sarabhai (son of Kartikeya Sarbhai), current director of Rajka Designs ****Mohal Sarabhai (son of Kartikeya Sarbhai), managing director of Asence Pharma Pvt. Ltd., and Synbiotics Limited (a Sarabhai Family company incorporated in 1960) *****Christina Sarabhai (wife of Mohal Sarabhai) *****Kavan Sarabhai (son of Mohal and Christina Sarabhai) *** Mallika Sarabhai (daughter of Vikram Sarabhai), a dancer and activist; briefly married to Bipin Shah, a publisher **** Revanta Sarabhai (son of Mallika Sarabhai and Bipin Shah), dancer ****Anahita Sarabhai (daughter of Mallika Sarabhai), performance artist & co-founder of QueerAbad **Leena Mangaldas (daughter of Ambalal Sarabhai), founder of Shreyas Foundation. ***Madanmohan Mangaldas Girdhardas (husband of Leena Mangaldas), noted industrialist ***Kamal Mangaldas (son of Leena Mangaldas), noted architect ****Arjun Mangaldas (son of Kamal Mangaldas), architect ****Abhay Mangaldas (son of Kamal Mangaldas), hotelier, founder of House of MG, a heritage hotel in Ahmedabad ** Gira Sarabhai (daughter of Ambalal Sarabhai), co-founder of the

National Institute of Design The National Institutes of Design (NID) are a group of autonomous public design institutes in India, with the first institute established in 1961 in Ahmedabad. The other NIDs are located in the cities of Kurukshetra, Amaravati, Jorhat and Bho ...

, the

Calico Museum of Textiles The Calico Museum of Textiles is located in the city of Ahmedabad in the state of Gujarat in western India. The museum is managed by the Sarabhai Foundation. History The museum was founded in 1949 by the enterprising siblings Gautam Sarabhai a ...

** Gita Mayor (daughter of Ambalal Sarabhai), Indian musician; well known for her patronage in music ***Satyadev Mayor, (husband of Gita Mayor) ***Pallavi Satyadev Mayor (daughter of Gita Mayor) ****Ajay Mayor (son of Pallavi Mayor) **Bharti Sarabhai, (daughter of Ambalal Sarabhai), unmarried

Institutions built by Sarabhai family

# Calico Mills - Ambalal Sarabhai # Jubilee Mills - Ambalal Sarabhai # Kasturba Gandhi Rashtriya Smarak Trust - Sarladevi Ambalal Sarabhai # Majoor Mahajan - Anasuyaben Sarabhai # Jyoti Sangh - Mridulaben Sarabhai # Vikas Gruh - Mridulaben Sarabhai # Shreyas Foundation & School - Leenaben Mangaldas # B.M. Institute of Mental Health - Gautam Sarabhai # The Psychotherapy Study Group - Gautam Sarabhai #

- Gautam Sarabhai and Gira Sarabhai # Darpana Academy of Performing Arts - Mrinalini & Vikram Sarabhai #

- Gira Sarabhai # Ambalal Sarabhai Enterprises, Baroda - Gautam Sarabhai, a commercial (corporate) venture #

Centre for Environment Education Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

- Kartikeya Sarabhai # VIKSAT - Kartikeya Sarabhai # CHETNA - Kartikeya Sarabhai # Sangeet Kendra - Geeta Mayor # Darpana for Development - Mallika Sarabhai # Mapin Publishing - Mallika Sarabhai and her husband Bipin Shah Gautam Gira Sarabhai Square

Major institution building efforts of Vikram Sarabhai (1947-1971)

No.4 was renamed the Vikram A. Sarabhai Community Science Centre after Dr. Sarabhai’s death in 1971. No.18 & 19 were merged under the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre after Dr. Sarabhai’s death in 1971. Nos.21,22,23,24,25 and 26 were merged under the Space Applications Centre after Dr. Sarabhai’s death in 1971. No. 31 was renamed Vikram Earth Station after Dr. Sarabhai’s death in 1971. File:Sitting fourth from left is Vikram Sarabhai. Baroda, 1950.jpg, Vikram Sarabhai File:This luncheon group photo with several members of the Sarabhai family. Baroda, 1951.jpg, Seated Gita Sarabhai Mayor, Vikram Sarabhai and Gira Sarabhai. File:Gita Sarabhai Mayor, Ahmedabad, 1952.jpg, Gita Sarabhai Mayor File:Gita (nee Sarabhai) Mayor, Baroda, 1951.jpg, Gita Sarabhai Mayor File:Gita (nee Sarabhai) Mayor in either Ahmedabad or New York, 1952.jpg, Gita Sarabhai Mayor File:Mr. Pandya of Sarabhai, Gita Sarabhai Mayor and daughter Pallavi, Dorothy Waller, and Satyadev Mayor seeing off the Hamiltons,Bombay Airport, 1953.jpg File:Baroda, 1951.jpg, Seated fifth from left, Gita sarabhai Mayor File:Luncheon at the Polo Club, Baroda, 1951.jpg, Ambalal Sarabhai can be spotted at the back close to the glass windows/doors. File:Gita and Ambalal, Ahmedabad, 1952.jpg, Gita and Ambalal Sarabhai File:"Retreat", Sarabhai Residence, Ahmedabad, 1951.jpg, Ambalal Sarabhai and Saraladevi Sarabhai (back towards the camera) File:Gautam's home, Ahmedabad, 1952.jpg, Gautam Sarabhai wearing half shirt and tie, third from the left standing next to his father Ambalal Sarabhai File:Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai, Ahmedabad, 1951.jpg, A young Vikram Sarabhai File:Retreat, Ahmedabad, 1951.jpg, Ambalal Sarabhai third from left. First from left is Nathan Hughes Hamilton, an employee at Squibb- Sarabhai Chemicals, Baroda. File:Gita Mayor and others. Shiv Mahal Palace, Baroda, 1952.jpg, Gita Sarabhai Mayor in black saree wearing a bindi, on the right. File:Gira Sarabhai Ahmedabad 1951.jpg, Gira Sarabhai probably at

References

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External links