Sanjit ‘Bunker’ Roy, the renowned social activist and founder of Barefoot College, passed away at the age of 81 at his home in Tilonia, Rajasthan, on November 10, 2026. Born into a privileged family and educated at prestigious institutions, Roy chose a life of grassroots service after witnessing rural poverty during the 1966 Bihar famine. In 1972, he established the Social Work and Research Centre, which later became Barefoot College, to empower rural communities through practical education, sustainable development and self-reliance.
His most celebrated initiative trained rural women, including grandmothers with little or no formal education, as solar engineers. His family confirmed that he passed away peacefully at 6.15 am, surrounded by his wife, activist Aruna Roy, and loved ones. His death has prompted tributes from political leaders and social activists, who have remembered his contribution to rural empowerment.
From Privilege To Purpose
Born on June 30, 1945, in Burnpur, West Bengal, Roy grew up in an upper-middle-class Bengali family. He studied at The Doon School in Dehradun and St Stephen’s College in Delhi and was also a three-time national squash champion. Despite having access to opportunities that could have led to a comfortable professional career, his experiences during the Bihar famine of 1966 changed his understanding of privilege, education and poverty.
While volunteering in a famine-affected village, he realised that his prestigious education had not prepared him to understand or respond effectively to the everyday challenges faced by rural communities. Reflecting on the experience in a 2015 interview, he said, “I went to the wrong school, wrong college and came back with a lot of arrogance.” The experience prompted him to spend nearly 18 months travelling across India, studying voluntary organisations and exploring alternative approaches to rural development before settling in Tilonia, Rajasthan.
Building Barefoot College
In 1972, Roy established the Social Work and Research Centre (SWRC) in Tilonia, which subsequently became widely known as Barefoot College. The organisation was founded on a simple but unconventional belief: rural communities possessed the knowledge and abilities to solve their own problems if they were given the right opportunities and practical training. Instead of depending entirely on outside experts, Roy wanted villagers to become engineers, healthcare workers, teachers and other professionals within their own communities.
Guided by Gandhian principles, the institution challenged conventional ideas about education by recognising that literacy and formal degrees were not the only measures of knowledge. Its programmes focused on decentralising technology and making essential services accessible to marginalised communities. Over the decades, its work expanded to include drinking water, rainwater harvesting, healthcare, education, traditional crafts, livelihoods and renewable energy. According to Barefoot College, its mission continues to centre on placing the knowledge, skills and wisdom of rural communities at the heart of development.
Empowering Solar Mamas
One of Roy’s most transformative contributions was the initiative to train rural women as solar engineers, popularly known as ‘Solar Mamas’. The programme challenged the widespread assumption that technical professions required formal education and that women from disadvantaged backgrounds could not handle complex technology.
Women, including grandmothers who had never attended school, were trained to assemble, install, repair and maintain solar lighting systems. After completing their training in Tilonia, they returned to their villages to bring electricity to households and maintain the solar equipment independently. The initiative also attracted women from several countries, particularly across Africa and the Himalayan region, turning a grassroots experiment in Rajasthan into an international model of community-led development.
For these women, the programme represented more than access to technical skills. It provided opportunities to earn a livelihood, participate in community decision-making and become recognised as skilled professionals. By placing women at the centre of technological development, Roy demonstrated how empowering individuals could create lasting change across entire communities.
From fear of wires ⚡️to training 4000+ women in 96 countries- Our solar mama’s prove you don’t need a degree to be an engineer💡 On #EngineersDay, we celebrate the women lighting up villages worldwide. who is the real engineer for you? #EngineersDay2025 #barefootcollegetilonia https://t.co/Pf1JgmLnIq
— Barefoot College (@barefootTILONIA) September 15, 2025
Recognition And Tributes
Roy’s contributions to rural development received national and international recognition. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1986 for his work in social service and was named among TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2010. He also received the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship in 2005 and the St Andrews Prize for the Environment in 2003.
Following news of his death, tributes poured in from political leaders and public figures. Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot remembered Roy’s contribution to rural self-reliance, education and development through Gandhian principles. Recalling his longstanding association with the activist, Gehlot said that Roy had dedicated his life to empowering villages and bringing positive changes to disadvantaged communities.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor described him as a visionary social activist, pioneer and educator who dedicated his life to empowering rural India through self-reliance, sustainable development and grassroots innovation. He particularly highlighted Roy’s initiative of training rural grandmothers as solar engineers, which brought electricity to thousands of off-grid homes in India and other developing countries.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Bunker Roy’s life challenges the conventional understanding of education, privilege and development. His journey demonstrates that meaningful social change does not always require imposing solutions from above; sometimes, it begins by listening to communities and recognising the abilities they already possess. His decision to move away from privilege and work alongside rural communities also reminds us that empathy must extend beyond understanding people’s struggles to creating opportunities for them to shape their own futures.
His work with rural women is particularly significant in a society where gender and economic inequalities continue to restrict opportunities. By trusting women with technical knowledge and leadership responsibilities, Roy helped challenge deeply rooted stereotypes and create pathways towards dignity and independence. His legacy should inspire institutions, policymakers and citizens to invest in community-led development rather than treating marginalised people merely as beneficiaries of welfare.
As we remember his contribution, an important question remains: How can we carry forward Bunker Roy’s vision of empowering rural communities and ensuring that women have an equal role in shaping India’s development?
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