Bunker Roy
Bunker Roy
Sanjit "Bunker" Royis an Indian social activist and educator who founded the Barefoot College. He was selected as one of Time 100's 100 most influential personalities in 2010 for his work in educating illiterate and semi literate rural Indians...
NationalityIndian
ProfessionCivil Rights Leader
Date of Birth2 August 1945
CountryIndia
almost education expensive laid teacher
I went to a very elitist, snobbish, expensive education in India, and it almost killed me. I was all set to be a diplomat, teacher, doctor - all laid out.
backbone countries man maybe noticed outside solve wherever white
Wherever I've been, and I've been to over 20, maybe 25, countries in Africa, I've noticed how their backbone is broken. They don't have any confidence in themselves. They always think a white man will solve their problems from outside for them.
came changed death dying famine life mother people saw work worst
In 1965, I went to what was called the worst Bihar famine in India, and I saw starvation, death, people dying of hunger, for the first time. It changed my life. I came back home, told my mother, 'I'd like to live and work in a village.' Mother went into a coma.
We have shown that solar-electrified villages can be technically and financially self-sufficient.
adopting barefoot behind college owning people supposed
The Barefoot College is supposed to be a sparking off process. People are adopting it and owning it, which is really the story behind the college.
barefoot crazy matter money start whatever work
You come for the money, you don't come to Barefoot College. You come for the work and the challenge, you'll come to the Barefoot College. That is where we want you to try crazy ideas. Whatever idea you have, come and try it. It doesn't matter if you fail. Battered, bruised, you start again.
barefoot community dignity offer provide service skill work
You have to be a cop-out or a wash-out or a dropout to come to our college. You have to work with your hands. You have to have a dignity of labor. You have to show that you have a skill that you can offer to the community and provide a service to the community. So we started the Barefoot College, and we redefined professionalism.
bone midwife village
Who is a professional? A professional is someone who has a combination of competence, confidence and belief. A water diviner is a professional. A traditional midwife is a professional. A traditional bone setter is a professional. These are professionals all over the world. You find them in any inaccessible village around the world.
education family learn reading school
School is something that you learn - reading and writing. Education is what you learn from the family, from the environment, from the community.
absolutely gave houses jeff millennium million ridiculous save spends villages
Jeff Sachs has the Millennium Villages. He spends $2.5 million in one village. It's an absolutely ridiculous model, because I've said that if you gave me $2.5 million, I can train 100 grandmothers, solar electrify 100 villages - 10,000 houses - and save you 100,000 litres of kerosene.
motivation husband inspiration
We went to Ladakh ... and we asked this woman, 'What was the benefit you had from solar electricity?' And she thought for a minute and said, 'It's the first time I can see my husband's face in winter.'
morning motivation inspiration
The prime minister is 12 years old. She looks after 20 goats in the morning, but she's prime minister in the evening.
television world today
What's the best way of communicating in the world today? Television? No. Telegraph? No. Telephone? No. Tell a woman.
motivation inspiration india
I had a very elitist, snobbish, expensive education in India, and that almost destroyed me.