Ambalal Sarabhai (1890–1967) was a leading industrialist of Ahmedabad and also played an important role in India's freedom struggle. He was founder of Sarabhai group of Companies, like Sarabhai Textiles, Calico Textile Mills, Sarabhai Chemicals & others.
He was educated at Gujarat College in Ahmedabad and joined his family business as the director of Karamchand Premchand Private Ltd. He was the owner of Sarabhai Chemicals in Vadodara which manufactured chemicals and pharmaceuticals. He was the president of the Ahmedabad Mill Owner's Association in the year 1918-1919 and also a member of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. He was awarded the Kaiser-i-Hind Gold Medal by the British government which he renounced. He gave both personal and financial support to the freedom struggle in Ahmedabad.
Rabindranath came to Ahmedabad along with Andrews and Kshitimohan and became a guest in the house of Ambala Sarabhai at Shahibag on 13th March,1923. On the same date he wrote to Andree Karpeles (a renowned painter) a personal letter which seemed to be very interesting as it described the relation of his recently adopted grand daughter Nandini (Rt pic-3);
" ....I am homesick, longing to be among you all - even Poupee's (recently adopted grand daughter) absurd indifference towards me has its own peculiar fascination for myself. It is in the fitness of things that this little creature, with her flat nose and small mind, should have special preference for the old gardener and ignore a poet who belongs to the paradise of perpetual youth. But I must confess to you in secret, that I cannot understand how Bauma ( left-pic-4), with all her artistic instinct and training, should have the infatuation to prefer her to me, lavishing all her care and fine things upon that unworthy object while so often I have to go about in rags."
This was the first example of occupying the hearts of Rabindranath by the recently adopted child which would gradually increasing.
Rabindranath came to Ahmedabad along with Andrews and Kshitimohan and became a guest in the house of Ambala Sarabhai at Shahibag on 13th March,1923. On the same date he wrote to Andree Karpeles (a renowned painter) a personal letter which seemed to be very interesting as it described the relation of his recently adopted grand daughter Nandini (Rt pic-3);
" ....I am homesick, longing to be among you all - even Poupee's (recently adopted grand daughter) absurd indifference towards me has its own peculiar fascination for myself. It is in the fitness of things that this little creature, with her flat nose and small mind, should have special preference for the old gardener and ignore a poet who belongs to the paradise of perpetual youth. But I must confess to you in secret, that I cannot understand how Bauma ( left-pic-4), with all her artistic instinct and training, should have the infatuation to prefer her to me, lavishing all her care and fine things upon that unworthy object while so often I have to go about in rags."This was the first example of occupying the hearts of Rabindranath by the recently adopted child which would gradually increasing.
