Renana Jhabvala Biography 
Renana Jhabvala is a social worker based in Ahmedabad. She is the daughter of Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Booker prize-winning novelist, short story writer and winner of two academy awards for screen writing. Renana is best known for her long association with the Self-Employed Women's Association, and she closely works with women and organizing them into trade unions in India. She also writes on women issues. In 1990, government of India honoured her with Padma shri for his overall contributions towards the field of social work. She has served as Chancellor of Gandhigram Rural Institute, a Deemed University in Tamil Nadu in 2012.
Renana was born to Indian Parsi father and German mother. Her father Cyrus S. H. Jhabvala was a well-known architect, while her mother Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, an award winning writer and screenwriter. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala moved to India in 1951 and got married to the architect. Renana has two elder sisters – Ava and Firoza. Her grandparents were public figures associated with social service, trade union movement and women empowerment. Renana’s grandmother, Mehraben Jhabvala was associated with the emerging women's movement, and Renana followed that legacy, strengthening women race through union power.
After studies in India, Renana did advanced studies in mathematics from Harvard University, followed by economics in Yale University. An activist with the NGO SEWA, she served on the UN Secretary-General’s panel on women’s economic empowerment. She has been associated with SEWA since 1977, and she joined the organization soon after her return to India after advanced studies. She was instrumental in forming the first Cooperative in SEWA, aimed to organising women into SEWA as a trade union which she succeeded.
Published: September 16, 2018
Updated: September 16, 2018
