Sarabhai family
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 industrial enterprise, which is now all but defunct. Family history. The Sarabhai family are major business family of India belonging to the Shrimal Jain community. Its twentieth century doyen Sheth Ambalal Sarabhai, was a Gujarati 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 freedom, 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: Major Institution Building Efforts of Vikram Sarabhai (1947-1971). No.4 was renamed as 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 as Vikram Earth Station after Dr. Sarabhai’s death in 1971 . <gallery mode="nolines" caption="Various photographs of Sarabhais collected/photographed by Nathan Hughes Hamilton (Squibb - Sarabhai Chemicals) in early 1950s, Baroda, Ahmedabad and Bombay"> 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 5th 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. |Gira Sarabhai probably at Calico Museum of Textiles </gallery>