Sanjit "Bunker" Roy, the Indian social activist, educator, and founder of the Barefoot College, died at 6:15 am on November 10, 2026. He was 81 years old. He passed away peacefully at his home in Tilonia, Rajasthan, surrounded by his wife, the noted activist and former civil servant Aruna Roy, and members of the local community.
Born in 1945 in Burnpur, Asansol, into an upper-middle-class Bengali family, Roy received an elite education at the Doon School and St. Stephen’s College in Delhi. During his youth, he also distinguished himself as a national squash champion. However, his life trajectory shifted dramatically after witnessing the devastating Bihar famine of 1966-1967. At the age of 21, he abandoned a conventional, privileged career path to work directly with rural communities. This decision led him to Tilonia, a village in the Ajmer District of Rajasthan, where, alongside his friend Meghraj, he began the foundational work of drilling open wells for water recharge in one of India’s most water-stressed regions.
In 1972, Roy founded the Social Work and Research Centre (SWRC), which became widely known as the Barefoot College. Rooted in Gandhian principles of self-reliance, dignity, and decentralization, the institution operated on the premise that the knowledge, skills, and wisdom of rural communities are powerful resources for their own development. Roy frequently emphasized that there is no urban solution to a rural problem, famously stating that in Tilonia, there are no failures, only beginnings, and describing it as a place for "cop outs, drop outs and wash outs."
Under his leadership, the Barefoot College pioneered community-led approaches to rural development across multiple sectors, including water conservation, education, healthcare, livelihoods, and women's empowerment. Its most globally recognized initiative is the training of rural women, many without formal education, as solar engineers. Known as "Solar Mamas," these women learn to build, install, and maintain solar home lighting systems, bringing clean electricity to remote, off-grid communities. The program has trained over 1,700 women from nearly 100 countries, challenging conventional notions of education, expertise, and leadership.
Roy’s vision extended beyond the mere provision of basic services. He focused on building the capacity of rural communities to identify their own challenges, develop localized solutions, and manage resources independently. Initiatives ranging from night schools for rural children to community-based water management demonstrated his conviction that sustainable development must be rooted in local ownership and participation. What began as a localized experiment evolved into an internationally recognized model of grassroots development, establishing Tilonia as a global center for learning, innovation, and community-led action.
Roy’s contributions received extensive national and international recognition. His honors include the Jamnalal Bajaj Award for Application of Science and Technology for Rural Development (1985), the Padma Shri (1986), the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement (2004), the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship (2005), and the Blue Planet Prize (2011). In 2010, he was named among TIME magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World, and he received the Clinton Global Citizen Award in 2013. In 2017, Princeton University honored him with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
The funeral was held at 4:00 pm on November 10, 2026, in Tilonia. He is survived by his wife, Aruna Roy, and the global community of practitioners and beneficiaries associated with the Barefoot College.
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