Anasuya Sarabhai's 132nd birth anniversary commemorated by Google Doodle

Today’s Google Doodle celebrates the 132nd birth anniversary of Anasuya Sarabhai, a feminist and activist who selflessly worked for the upliftment of the labour class. Sarabhai was born on 11 November, 1885 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. She was married as a child, but the marriage did not last long. Sarabhai was from a wealthy business family, and went to London to study medicine with her brother, but joined the London School of Economics as animal dissection was against her religious beliefs. [caption id=“attachment_4204381” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Image: Google[/caption] At the London School of Economics she was exposed to the ideas of social equality, and participated in the suffrage movement. When she returned to India, she started to work for the welfare of disempowered women, and focused on mill workers who had to endure thirty six hour long shifts. She negotiated with mill owners for better work conditions, and even though her brother was a mill owner, she helped organise the first strike of Ahmedabad weavers in a demand for higher wages. Sarabhai was supported in her work by Mahatma Gandhi, and together they established the first labour union in Gujarat, which later went on to become the Self-Employed Women’s Association of India ( SEWA ). The registered trade union works towards helping poor, self employed woman in the unorganised sector obtain full time employment, along with the security and self reliance that comes with it. The Doodle was created by Pakistani-Canadian artist Maria Qamar , who drew inspiration from the Indian textile industry while creating the Doodle. The Google Doodle celebrating Anasuya Sarabhai’s birthday is shown in India only. Google has another Doodle for today, users in Poland will see their flag waving in the middle of the Google logo as they celebrate their independence day on 11 November.