Sanjit
"Bunker" Roy is an Indian social entrepreneur who, in 1972, established
the Social Work and Research Centre, now known as the Barefoot College, to train
rural poor in occupations like engineers, health workers and teachers, that will
benefit and improve the lives of their communities. Bunker Roy decided to dedicate
his life to helping the rural poor during the Bihar famine of the 1960s, when
he left his comfortable life to see the situation firsthand and was deeply moved
by the suffering he witnessed. For more than 3 decades he has been a leading figure
for sustainable development in the Indian NGO community, and continues to be a
source of inspiration for young Indian social entrepreneurs. Bunker Roy's own
heroes include Mahatma Gandhi
and his wife, Aruna Roy,
who has worked with him in his activities for social change, as well as accomplishing
many achievements for a better world in her own work. In 2002 Bunker Roy was selected
to receive the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship award; he received
the Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy, often dubbed the 'Green Oscar' in 2003;
and in 2005 he received the Skoll Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship Award,
which included a seizable financial grant.
