Bunker Roy, founder of Barefoot College, has died at the age of 81

One of the stalwarts of India’s modern civil society and the founder of Barefoot College, Sanjit “Bunker” Roy, died on Tuesday (November 10, 2026) morning at his home in Tilonia, Ajmer district of Rajasthan. He was 81.

“He passed away peacefully as he wished, at his own home in Tilonia, surrounded by Aruna and some of the countless people who loved and cared for him deeply and passionately,” said a statement issued by the Social Work and Research Center (SWRC) – Barefoot College.

He was 21 years old when famine struck Bihar in 1966. Successive monsoons have failed. Seeing the horrors of extreme poverty, with people dying of hunger, changed the course of his life and he decided to reject “the whole world that was prepared for him”.

Bunker Roy’s activism began at a time when social work was often looked down upon. His wife and prominent activist Aruna Roy recalls in her memoir The Personal is Political that when she served as a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in Delhi, the Chief Municipal Magistrate reacted with disapproval after learning that Bunker Roy was a social worker. “Kahin naukri nahin mili hogi (he didn’t have to have a job),” her colleague quipped. However, the judge’s attitude changed dramatically when he later found out that Bunker Roy was a national squash champion and immediately asked Roy for help in securing membership of the prestigious Delhi Gymkhana Club.

Early Education and Barefoot College

Roy studied at the Doon School alongside future Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and from 1962 to 1967 attended St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. He won the national squash championship in 1965 and represented India in three world championships. In a TED Talk published online 15 years ago, he described his elite education as “snobbish” and “expensive” and said it “almost destroyed” him.

In 1972, Roy founded the Center for Social Work and Research in Tilonia, Rajasthan, which later became widely known as Barefoot College. In the same TED Talk, he described it as “a place for resignations, dropouts and washouts” and not for certificate-chasers. It had a bottom-up approach, allowing villagers to “identify their own problems, develop local solutions and manage their resources independently”, and work on community initiatives in water management and renewable energy.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor paid tribute, saying Roy’s vision to train rural grandmothers as “barefoot solar engineers” had helped bring electricity to thousands of off-grid homes across India and other developing countries, while advancing community empowerment and environmental stewardship.

“Builder of Institutions”

Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh remembered Roy as a jovial character whose love for chocolates had earned him the ire of Mr. Ramesh’s wife for polishing off an entire box without sharing. Mr Ramesh said Roy believed civil society “must cooperate where it can, cooperate where it should and confront where it must”. Roy, he said, worked closely with the Rajiv Gandhi government in areas such as drinking water, immunization and adult literacy.

Sam Pitroda, who served as an advisor to Rajiv Gandhi and worked with Roy, remembered him as an “institution builder” whose influence extended far beyond the communities he served.

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that Roy made significant contributions to self-reliance, education and rural development, drawing inspiration from the principles of Mahatma Gandhi.

CPI General Secretary D. Raja described Roy as a pioneering social activist and educator whose work will continue to inspire those committed to equality, dignity and social justice.

‘real hero’

Writer Amitav Ghosh noted that despite opportunities to pursue a distinguished career in diplomacy, bureaucracy or the corporate world, Roy chose instead to dedicate his life to solving rural poverty, calling him “a true hero”.

Janta Cockroach Party leader Ashutosh Ranka said Roy’s contributions to education and social justice would be remembered for generations and described his death as a loss not only to Rajasthan but to the country as a whole.

Among the many honors Roy received were Padma Shri in 1986, Jamnalal Bajaj Award for Application of Science and Technology for Rural Development in 1985, Tyler Award for Environmental Achievement in 2004, Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship in 2005 and Blue Planet1, named by TIME magazine as 20 in the world. 100 most influential people. In 2013, he received the Clinton Global Citizen Award.

Published – November 10, 2026 11:05 AM IST