Barefoot College Founder Sanjit Bunker Roy Dies

Sanjit Bunker Roy, founder of Barefoot College in Tilonia, Rajasthan, died on 10 November 2026. He died at Barefoot House in Tilonia, where his funeral was also held. Roy and his wife, former IAS officer Aruna Roy, established Barefoot College in 1972.

The college trained rural women, including women from other countries, to make, maintain and repair solar panels. Roy received the Padma Shri in 2010.

Notable Points

• Founding: After surveying water supplies in 100 drought-prone areas, Bunker Roy established the Social Work and Research Centre in 1972. The organisation later became known as Barefoot College.
• Solar training model: Barefoot College trained mainly women from poor villages to install and repair solar lamps and water pumps without literacy requirements. Village Energy and Environment Committees chose trainees and set residents’ solar-panel rates. The six-month course covered solar panels and storage batteries; trainees returned home to maintain the systems, and received no degrees or certificates. Kamala Devi became the programme’s first female solar engineer in 1997 and led its Kadampura solar unit from 2012.
• Education and communication: Barefoot College began night schools for students who worked during the day. It also used Rajasthan’s traditional puppetry to share information on health, education and human rights.