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Ela Gandhi

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Ela Gandhi
Gandhi at Phoenix Settlement, South Africa, 2018
MP for KwaZulu-Natal
In office
1994–2004
Preceded byMulti-member district
Succeeded byMulti-member district
Personal details
Born (1940-07-01) 1 July 1940 (age 84)
Durban, Natal Province, South Africa
Political partyAfrican National Congress
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1960; div. 1990)​
Parents
RelativesArun Manilal Gandhi (brother)
Mahatma Gandhi (grandfather)
Kasturba Gandhi (grandmother)
Alma materUniversity of Natal
OccupationPolitician, activist

Ela Gandhi (born 1 July 1940), is a South African peace activist and former politician.[1] She served as a Member of Parliament in South Africa from 1994 to 2004, where she aligned with the African National Congress (ANC) party representing the Phoenix area of Inanda in the KwaZulu-Natal province. Her parliamentary committee assignments included the Welfare, and Public Enterprises committees as well as the ad hoc committee on Surrogate Motherhood. She was an alternate member of the Justice Committee and served on Theme Committee 5 on Judiciary and Legal Systems. She is the granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi.

Early life

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Ela Gandhi was born in Durban, South Africa. Her father Manilal Gandhi was editor of the Indian Opinion ran the Phoenix Settlement; it had been founded by her grandfather Mahatma Gandhi and it was where she grew up.[2][3] She received her B.A. degree at the former Natal University and later received a B.A. in social science with honors from UNISA.[4] Following graduation, she worked as a social worker with the Verulam Child and Family Welfare Society for 15 years and the Durban Indian Child and Family Welfare Society for five years.[5]

She married Mewa Ramgobin and had five children. One son was shot dead in a home invasion in 1993 and their daughter Ashish Lata Ramgobin was found guilty of fraud and sentenced to seven years imprisonment in 2021.[6][2]

Career

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Gandhi served as an executive member of the Natal Organisation of Women from its inception until 1991. Her political affiliations include the Natal Indian Congress, which she served as vice president, the United Democratic Front, Descom Crisis Network, and Inanda Support Committee.[7] During apartheid, Gandhi was banned in 1975 from political activism and subjected to house arrest for a total of nine years.[2] She was among the members of the United Democratic Front who met with Nelson Mandela prior to his release from Pollsmoor Prison on February 11, 1990. Prior to the 1994 elections, Gandhi was a member of the Transitional Executive Council.[7]

Post parliament

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After serving in parliament, Gandhi developed a 24-hour program against domestic violence, founded the Gandhi Development Trust, serves as a member of the Religious Affairs Committee, and oversees a monthly newspaper. She also chairs the Mahatma Gandhi Salt March Committee and the Mahatma Gandhi Development Trust.[8]

Awards and recognitions

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Ela Gandhi receives Pravasi Bharatiya Samman from President of India in 2014

In 2002, Gandhi received the Community of Christ International Peace Award.[2] Five years later, she was awarded conferred the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India.[9] In 2014, she was also honoured as a veteran of the Umkhonto we Sizwe.[10] The Embassy of India Student Hub, Washington, D.C., invited Ela Gandhi to speak to over 15,000 graduating students in the Class of 2020 during a virtual graduation ceremony.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "ELA GANDHI". Voices of Resistance. Voices of Resistance. Archived from the original on 24 February 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d "A Life Committed to Satyagraha: 2002 International Peace Award Recipient Ela Gandhi". Int'l Peace Award: Community of Christ. Community of Christ. Archived from the original on 28 July 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  3. ^ Anbarasan, Ethirajan (3 September 2004). "Restoring Gandhi's African legacy". BBC News. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  4. ^ "Ela Gandhi (July 01, 1940 - )". South Africa: Overcoming Apartheid, Building Democracy. South African History Online. Archived from the original on 25 June 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  5. ^ Tiara Walters (5 June 2010). "Ela Gandhi" (News article (interview)). Times Live. AVUSA, Inc. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  6. ^ Pandey, Nikhil (8 June 2021). "Mahatma Gandhi's great-grand daughter jailed for 7 years in a fraud case". WION. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Ela Gandhi". South African History Online. South African History Online. Archived from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  8. ^ "Durban Living Legend - Ela Gandhi". wiki.ulwazi.org. Ulwazi. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  9. ^ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  10. ^ "Ela Gandhi honoured in South Africa". The Hindu. PTI. 27 January 2014. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 7 September 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  11. ^ "Virtual graduation ceremony for Indian students in US in time of coronavirus pandemic". outlookindia.com/. Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
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