Indumati Chimanlal Sheth

{{Infobox person

| name = Indumati Chimanlal Sheth

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| birth_date = {{birth date|1906|11|28|df=y}}

| birth_place = Ahmedabad, Bombay Presidency, British India

| death_date = {{death date and age|1985|3|11|1906|11|28|df=y}}

| death_place = Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

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| occupation = Social worker, independence activist, politician, educationist

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| father = Chimanlal Nagindas Sheth

| mother = Manekba

| website =

| awards = Padma Shri (1970)

}}

Indumati Chimanlal Sheth (28 November 1906 – 11 March 1985) was an Indian independence activist, politician, social worker, and educationist from Gujarat. Born in Ahmedabad and influenced by Mahatma Gandhi, she participated in the independence movement and later served as a deputy education minister of Bombay State and education minister of Gujarat. In 1970, she was awarded the Padma Shri for her social work.

Biography

Indumati was born in Ahmedabad on 28 November 1906 to Manekba and Chimanlal Nagindas Sheth. Her father died in 1908 and had willed his fortune to be used for education which resulted in the establishment of a hostel and a school by her mother. Ambalal Sarabhai was a cousin of her father. She completed her primary education at the Government School in Ahmedabad. She matriculated in 1921 with a Chatfield prize awarded to the girl who stood first in the Bombay Presidency. She graduated in sociology from Gujarat Vidyapith in 1926 where she was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi.{{Cite news|url=https://sureshbjani.wordpress.com/2007/02/19/indumati_sheth/|title=ઇન્દુમતીબેન શેઠ|last=Jani|first=Suresh B.|date=2007-02-19|work=ગુજરાતી પ્રતિભા પરિચય|access-date=2018-11-20|language=gu-IN|trans-title=Indumatiben Sheth}}{{Cite web |last=Mule |first=Balkrishna Madhavlal |date=2006-01-01 |title=શેઠ, ઇન્દુમતી ચીમનલાલ |url=https://gujarativishwakosh.org/%E0%AA%B6%E0%AB%87%E0%AA%A0-%E0%AA%87%E0%AA%A8%E0%AB%8D%E0%AA%A6%E0%AB%81%E0%AA%AE%E0%AA%A4%E0%AB%80-%E0%AA%9A%E0%AB%80%E0%AA%AE%E0%AA%A8%E0%AA%B2%E0%AA%BE%E0%AA%B2/ |access-date=2022-06-20 |website=Gujarati Vishwakosh |language=gu}}

She briefly worked as an honorary lecturer at Gujarat Vidyapith. She joined and taught at Sheth Chimanlal Nagindas Vidyalaya formed from the institutes founded by her mother.{{Cite news|url=http://cnvidyavihar.edu.in/en/about-us/founding-members/|title=Founders|work=C N Vidyavihar|access-date=2018-11-20|language=en-US|archive-date=19 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119205104/http://cnvidyavihar.edu.in/en/about-us/founding-members/|url-status=dead}} She participated in the non-cooperation movement in the 1920s and the Quit India Movement in 1942 for which she was imprisoned by the British authorities.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DeaVBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA22|title=International Journal of Afro-Asian Studies: Vol.4, No.1|publisher=Universal-Publishers|isbn=978-1-61233-709-8|page=22}} She had appealed and worked for peace during the riots in Ahmedabad in 1941–42.{{cite book |author=Achyut Yagnik |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ivMAUx6Hdl8C&pg=PT262 |title=Ahmedabad: From Royal city to Megacity |date=2 February 2011 |publisher=Penguin Books Limited |isbn=978-81-8475-473-5 |page=262}}

She established the Sammunnati Trust and Mahila Mudranalaya to uplift women through education and employment. She was also a member of Jyotisangh, a foundation for women's empowerment in Ahmedabad. She promoted swadeshi (local produce) and established the Khadi Mandir in Ahmedabad for khadi clothes promotion.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4i1aMXriA0sC&pg=PA140|title=Gandhi and the Mass Movements|publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Distri|page=140|id=GGKEY:FUFBH8BBLN9}}{{cite web | url=http://deshgujarat.com/2014/10/02/amdavadi-khadi-brand-moralfibre-chosen-for-hollywood-film-costumes/ | title=Amdavadi khadi brand MORALFIBRE chosen for Hollywood film costumes | publisher=Desh Gujarat | date=2 October 2014 | access-date=22 May 2015}} She also founded the Manekba Vinayvihar in Adalaj. She had served on the committee for the feasibility study of the university in Gujarat.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=miDiDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT141|title=GANESH VASUDEO MAVALANKAR|author=M.V.Kamath|date=4 September 2016|publisher=Publications Division Ministry of Information & Broadcasting|isbn=978-81-230-2323-6|page=141}}

She was associated with Ahmedabad unit of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as a member of Ahmedabad Municipal School Board in 1937.{{Cite news|url=http://cnvidyavihar.edu.in/about-us/|title=વિદ્યાવિહાર વિશે|work=C N Vidyavihar|access-date=2018-07-01|archive-url=https://archive.today/20180701042501/http://cnvidyavihar.edu.in/about-us/|archive-date=1 July 2018|language=gu|trans-title=About Us - C N Vidyavihar|url-status=live}} In 1946, she was elected to the Bombay Legislative Assembly unopposed. After independence, she served as the deputy education minister of the Bombay State from 1952 to 1960.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V3IiAQAAIAAJ|title=The Times of India Directory & Yearbook, Including Who's who|publisher=Times of India Press|year=1955|page=316}} In 1961, she established Vyayam Vidyabhavan for training physical instructors and the first fine arts college of the newly founded Gujarat state. She was also elected from Ellis Bridge constituency in 1962 and served as the Minister of Education, Social Welfare, Prohibition and Excise and Rehabilitation of Gujarat state from 1962 to 1967.{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.100489|title=India: A Reference Annual|publisher=Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India|year=1962|pages=[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.100489/page/n436 410]–411}} She was appointed a member of the University Grants Commission in 1969.

She was awarded the Padma Shri in 1970 by the Government of India for her social work.{{cite web|url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |title=Padma Shri |publisher=Padma Shri |date=2015 |access-date=11 November 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015193758/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |archive-date=15 October 2015 |df=dmy-all }} She died on 11 March 1985 in Ahmedabad.

Gujarati writer Snehrashmi had written her biography in Gujarati, {{transliteration|gu|Sanskarmoorti Induben}} (1987).