At an early age, Mridula came under the influence of [[Mahatma Gandhi]]. As a child of ten, she worked with the [[Vanara Sena]] ("Monkey Army" - a group of child activists organised by [[Indira Gandhi]]) of the Congress and carried messages and water for the satyagrahis. Influenced by [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], who was to become her lifelong friend and mentor, she helped with the organization of the Youth Conference in Rajkot in 1927. She joined the Congress Seva Dal during the [[Salt Satyagraha]] and organized the boycott of foreign cloth and British goods. She was even imprisoned by British for her role in salt satyagraha.<ref>Mahatma Gandhi: Salt satyagraha: the watershed by Navjivan Publications, 1995:pp 263-On 9 April in Ahmedabad Khurshedbehn Naoroji and Mridula Sarabhai were arrested for selling contraband salt.</ref>
