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.

Family history

The Sarabhai family are a major business family in India belonging to the Shrimal Jain Bania community. 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:

Institutions built by Sarabhai family

Major institution building efforts of Vikram Sarabhai (1947-1971)

• # Ahmedabad Textile Industry's Research Association (ATIRA) • # Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad • # Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad • # Community Science Centre (CSC), Ahmedabad • # Nehru Foundation for Development (NFD), Ahmedabad • # Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA), Ahmedabad • # Sarabhai Chemicals, Baroda • # Sarabhai Glass, Baroda • # Suhrid Geigy, Baroda • # Synbiotics, Baroda • # Sarabhai Merck, Baroda • # Sarabhai Engineering Group, Baroda • # Operations Research Group (ORG), Baroda • # Sarabhai Research Centre (SRC), Baroda • # Systronics, Ahmedabad • # Swastik Oil Mills, Bombay • # Standard Pharmaceuticals, Calcutta • # Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS), Trivandrum • # Space Science and Technology Centre (SSTC), Trivandrum • # Shriharikota Rocket Range (SHAR), Sriharikota • # Experimental Satellite Communication Earth Station (ESCES), Ahmedabad • # Satellite Communication System Division (SCSD), Ahmedabad • # Electronics System Division (ESD), Ahmedabad • # Microwave Antenna Systems Engineering Group (MASEG), Ahmedabad • # Audio Visual Instructional Division (AVID), Ahmedabad • # Remote Sensing and Meteorological Division (RSMD), Ahmedabad • # Indian Scientific Satellite Project (ISSP), Bangalore • # Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE), Ahmedabad • # Indian National Satellite (INSAT) Satellite Launching Vehicle (SLV) Trivandrum • # Satellite Communication Earth Station, • # Arvi Fast Breeder Reactors (FBR), Kalpakkam • # Nuclear Centre for Agriculture, New Delhi • # Variable Energy Cyclotron Project (VECP), Calcutta • # Electronic Prototype Engineering Laboratory (EPEL), Bombay • # Electronics Corporation of India (ECIL), Hyderabad • # Uranium Corporation of India (UCIL), Jaduguda, Jharkhand 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.