Indian independence movement Petit was influenced by her aunt,
Jaiji Jehangir Petit, who was a follower of
Mahatma Gandhi and was the Secretary of the Rashtriya Stree Sabha, a women's movement founded on Gandhian ideals. She was active in the relief work during the floods of Gujarat in 1927, along with Ratanbahen Mehta and Bhaktiba Desai. During Bardoli Satyagraha in 1928, she moved from village to village to create awareness among the women. She took part in Borsad Satyagraha in 1929 and stayed at the camp. Petit, along with
Kasturba Gandhi and
Sarojini Naidu, played a major part in the
Salt March, Petit participated in the
Bardoli Satyagraha of 1928 which was a no enhancement campaign against the
British Raj where she worked under the guidance of
Sardar Patel. Petit was instrumental in the anti-liquor movement in India and spent time with Mahatma Gandhi and explained the liquor issue with the
schedule tribes in
Gujarat.
Social work Petit set up an
ashram in
Maroli called
Kasturba Vanat Shala or Kasturba Sevashram in 1930, which taught underprivileged children from families of
Adivasis,
Harijans and fisher folk spinning, carding, weaving, dairy farming, leather-work and a Diploma Course in Sewing, to make the women self-sufficient. Petit, known as "Maiji" (mother) also opened a hospital of the same name for the scientific treatment of mentally ill patients in 1942. ==Death==