Bunker Roy

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Bunker Roy
Born	1945 Burnpur Bengal, present-day West Bengal
Residence	Rajasthan, India
Nationality	Indian
Occupation	Founder of Barefoot college

Bunker Roy, real name Sanjit 'Bunker' Roy was born in 1945 in Burnpur Bengal, present-day West Bengal is an Indian Social Activist. He founded the Barefoot college in Tilonia, Rajasthan. In 1972, Indian NGOs was registered as Social Work and Research Centre [1].

Bunker is highly influenced by the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi, one of the key principle being Sustainable development. In 2002, he was selected for Geneva-based Schwab Foundation's award [2].

[edit] Early life

Bunker was educated in an elite school, Doon School, Dehradun and St. Stephen's College, Delhi, India. During the Rajiv Gandhi regime he unsuccessfully introduced legislation to bring transparency and accountability of NGOs, which was eventually withdrawn.[3]

There is a mistaken belief that illiteracy is a barrier to the rural poor developing themselves with skills of their own. In other words a rural poor farmer, weaver, potter, leather worker, blacksmith and other artisans,because they have never been through a formal education system are not capable of producing high quality products with a marvelous eye for aesthetics and form. In the rural areas of India today for instance there are endless examples of rainwater harvesting structures for drinking water and sanitation still being used today that are hundreds of years old constructed when there were no architects and engineers. [4]