The Sarabhai family is a prominent Indian family active in several fields. The patriarch, Ambalal Sarabhai, was a leading industrialist. 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.[1]
The Sarabhai family are a major business family in India belonging to the Shrimal JainBania community.[2][3] Its twentieth century patriarch, Sheth Ambalal Sarabhai, 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. After India's independence, the family remained involved in developmental tasks undertaken by the Government of India.
Ambalal Sarabhai was a prominent mill owner and also interested in philanthropic activities. His wife Sarladevi Sarabhai was impressed by the Maria Montessori philosophy and in the year 1922, Montessori sent E. M. Standing to India for the homeschooling 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:
Ambalal Sarabhai. 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, 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
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[6]
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
Major institution building efforts of Vikram Sarabhai (1947-1971)
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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.
Various photographs of Sarabhais collected/photographed by Nathan Hughes Hamilton (Squibb - Sarabhai Chemicals) in early 1950s, Baroda, Ahmedabad and Bombay
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