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| Bunker Roy | |
|---|---|
 Sanjit Bunker Roy at Time 100 event, 2010 | |
| Born | (1945-08-02) August 2, 1945 (age 79) Burnpur, present-day West Bengal |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Social activist & Founder of Barefoot college |
| Spouse | Aruna Roy 1970 – present |
Sanjit 'Bunker' Roy (born 2 August 1945) is an Indian social activist and educator. In 1972 he founded the Barefoot College in Tilonia, Rajasthan, India. The Indian non-governmental organization was registered as the Social Work and Research Centre. He was selected as one of Time 100, the 100 most influential personalities in the world by TIME Magazine in 2010.
In 2002 he was selected for Geneva-based Schwab Foundation's award.
Early life
Bunker Roy was born in Burnpur Bengal, present-day West Bengal. His father was a mechanical engineer and his mother retired as India's trade commissioner to Russia.
He attended The Doon School from 1956 to 1962 and St. Stephen's College, Delhi from 1962 to 1967. He earned his master's degree in English. He became the Indian national champion in squash for three years, also representing India internationally in the sport. He then decided to devote himself to social service.
Career
Roy, after his education, decided to work in the villages. He founded the Barefoot College. The buildings used for the school have dirt floors and no chairs so that "poor students feel comfortable". Barefoot College has provided informal training to several thousand illiterate / semi-literate people to become solar engineers, teachers, midwives, weavers, architects and doctors.
Aga Khan Foundation award
Roy returned the Award to the Aga Khan Foundation in protest for the change in the original citation to include the name of Neehar Raina, a Delhi-based architect who was a part of Roy's team. Quoting Frontline magazine on the controversy,
"It had been an agonising decision but we have to keep our honour," Roy told Frontline. "There was no question of accepting Raina as the architect since he was a beginner and was still learning from the elders in the village. When Romi Khosla and Raina came down to Tilonia to discuss the issue with the men and women here in April this year we had agreed to acknowledge Raina as a designer but of course not as an architect," he observes.
Personal life
In 1970, Roy married his classmate Aruna Roy, then an officer in the Indian Administrative Service. Aruna became a political and social activist and a leader of the Right to Information movement.
Awards
 | This section needs expansion with: years in which he won the awards and reference cutations to such awards. You can help by adding to it. (June 2012) |
Roy has received:
- The Arab Gulf Fund for the United Nations (AGFUND) Award for promoting Volunteerism
- The World Technology Award for Social Entrepreneurship
- The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship
- The Stockholm Challenge Award for Information Technology
- The NASDAQ Stock Market Education Award
- The Tyler Prize.
- The St Andrews Prize for the Environment – 2003
Articles
References
- Bunker Roy : Barefoot College. indianngos.com
- Thinkers:Sanjit 'Bunker' Roy TIME, Apr. 29, 2010.
- The Hindu : Swiss award for Bunker Roy (2002-09-22)
- Peoples World Peace Project – Bunker Roy. Pwpp.org. Retrieved on 2012-06-02.
- http://www.un.org/wcm/content/site/sustainableenergyforall/home/members/Roy
- http://itc.conversationsnetwork.org/shows/detail783.html
- Mortenson, Greg. (2010-04-29) . TIME. Retrieved on 2012-06-02.
- Mortenson, Greg. (2010-04-29) . TIME. Retrieved on 2012-06-02.
- "Award (controversy) Barefoot Architects".
- Sebastian, Sunny, "An award controversy", Frontline, Volume 15 (Issue 16), July 20 – August 02, 2002 (retrieved on 10 January 2012).
- Ramon Magsaysay Award Citation. Rmaf.org.ph. Retrieved on 2012-06-02.
- http://itc.conversations.com