Renowned social activist and founder of Barefoot College, Sanjit “Bunker” Roy, passed away on Tuesday in Tilonia, Rajasthan.
He was 81. Born on June 30, 1945, Roy was educated at Doon School and St. Stephen’s College before choosing a path of grassroots service in rural India.
In 1972, Roy established the Social Work and Research Centre in Tilonia to tackle water and irrigation scarcity. Over five decades, he pioneered community-led development spanning healthcare, literacy, and solar power. His initiative challenged traditional educational models by relying on rural wisdom rather than urban expertise.
Roy’s flagship innovation—training illiterate and semi-literate rural grandmothers as “Solar Mamas”—brought clean solar lighting to off-grid villages across India and the developing world. In recognition of his efforts, he received the Padma Shri in 1986 and was named one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2010.
Political leaders and activists paid rich tributes to Roy following the news of his death. Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot praised his adherence to Gandhian principles of rural self-reliance, while Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor remembered him as a visionary educator who illuminated thousands of lives.