JAIPUR: Sanjit Bunker Roy, the social activist who founded Barefoot College in Rajasthan’s Tilonia and trained rural women from across the world as solar engineers, died at his home in Ajmer district Tuesday morning. He was 81, and is survived by his wife, noted social activist Aruna Roy.Through Barefoot College, Roy built a model in which rural people were trained to address problems in their own communities. Roy received Padma Shri in 1986. His other honours included Jamnalal Bajaj Award, Blue Planet Prize and Clinton Global Citizen Award. TIME magazine named him among the world’s 100 most influential people in 2010.Roy’s journey into rural development began after the Bihar famine of 1966-67. Educated at The Doon School and St Stephen’s College, the three-time national squash champion gave up a privileged career path after witnessing the hardships of famine-hit villagers. He moved to Tilonia in 1972 and began working with local communities on water conservation, starting with efforts to recharge groundwater through open wells.This led to the establishment of Social Work and Research Centre (SWRC), popularly known as Barefoot College. Over the years, the organisation expanded its work to drinking water, education, healthcare, rural livelihoods and women’s empowerment.One of Roy’s most recognised initiatives was Solar Mamas programme, launched in 2000. It trained women from villages without electricity to become solar engineers. Many of them had little or no formal education. After six months of training in India, they returned to their countries to assemble, install and repair solar home-lighting systems.The programme reached 96 countries. According to Barefoot College’s 50-year anniversary brochure published in 2022, the organisation had trained 1,708 women and electrified more than 75,000 households, saving an estimated 45 million litres of kerosene. Women from remote communities in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific were part of the initiative. The Solar Mamas also drew international attention, with leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and former US President Bill Clinton meeting them.Barefoot College’s work extended beyond solar energy. “Its water conservation initiatives helped harvest around 70 billion litres through rainwater storage tanks, ponds and small dams, supplying drinking water to more than 1,650 schools across 20 states. Its healthcare programme treated over three lakh patients, while its night schools helped more than 90,000 working children access education,” said Nosheen Khan, consultant with Barefoot College.The Solar Mamas programme, in particular, demonstrated how women with little formal education could acquire technical skills and take responsibility for bringing electricity to their villages. Solar Mamas came from countries including Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Mali and Senegal in Africa; Afghanistan, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Nepal in Asia; and Mexico, Peru, Brazil and Colombia in Latin America. Women from Pacific island nations such as Fiji and Vanuatu also became part of the initiative.
