Aruna Roy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Aruna Roy
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| President of the National Federation of Indian Women | |
| In office 2008–2024 |
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| Preceded by | Dr. K. Saradamoni |
| Succeeded by | Syeda Saiyidain Hameed |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 June 1946 Madras, British Raj |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Spouse |
Sanjit Roy
(m. 1970) |
| Alma mater | Indraprastha College (B.A.) Delhi University (M.A.) National Academy of Administration (M.P.Adm.) |
| Occupation | Activist, professor, union organiser and civil servant |
| Awards | Ramon Magsaysay Award, 2000 Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award, 2010 |
Aruna Roy (born 6 June 1946) is a famous Indian social activist, a former professor, and a union organizer. She is known for her work helping poor and marginalized people. She was the president of the National Federation of Indian Women and started the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan.
Contents
Growing Up and School
Aruna Roy was born on 6 June 1946, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Her family believed in treating everyone equally, no matter their caste or religion. They also believed in serving the public.
Her grandparents were well-educated. Her grandmothers were role models for her. Her maternal grandmother worked with people who had leprosy. Her maternal grandfather, an engineer, wrote textbooks for poor children. Aruna's mother, Hema, was excellent in science, math, and sports. She also knew many languages.
Aruna's parents broke old traditions. Her mother waited until she was 25 to marry. Her father, Jayaram, was a lawyer. He fought for India's freedom. After independence, he became a government official.
Aruna was the oldest of four children. Her family spoke three languages at home: Tamil, English, and Hindi. The children were taught to think for themselves. They learned to respect everyone. Aruna studied Bharatanatyam dance and Carnatic music. She also learned French.
She went to the Aurobindo Ashram for a year. Later, she moved to New Delhi with her family. She finished her schooling there. At 16, she joined the Indraprastha College for Women. She studied English Literature. Then she earned a master's degree from the University of Delhi.
After college, Aruna wanted a career. Most women became homemakers then. She felt this was too passive. She became an English Literature professor for a short time. In 1967, at age 21, she took a very hard exam. This was for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). It's a tough government job. She was one of only 10 women to pass that year. Aruna believed joining the IAS was a feminist choice. She wanted to follow her father's path. She was also inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's ideas. She trained at the National Academy of Administration. This taught her about law, languages, and administration.
Helping People and Activism
Working for the Government (1968–1974)
Aruna Roy started her government job in Tamil Nadu. Her first role was helping the main administrator of Tiruchi district. She later moved to Vellore district. There, her supervisor, T. V. Venkataram, let her take on important tasks. This was unusual for new officers.
In 1970, Aruna married Sanjit Roy. He was also involved in social work. She changed her name to Aruna Roy. She then moved to Delhi for her job.
In Delhi, she became a Sub-Divisional Magistrate. She handled police areas, student protests, and elections. Later, she became the Deputy Secretary for finance. In 1973, she was promoted to Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi.
However, Aruna became unhappy with government service. She joined to work for social justice. She believed the Indian Constitution could help people. But she saw a lot of corruption. She felt the system was old-fashioned. It often helped powerful people, not the poor. She realized she couldn't change things from inside. So, she decided to leave. But she learned a lot about how the government works. She also met many honest officials.
Barefoot College (1974–1983)
In 1974, Aruna took a break from her job. She joined her husband at the Social Work Research Centre. This place is also known as the Barefoot College. She saw how her husband worked equally with people there. This was different from how she was treated as a government officer. Later that year, she quit her government job. She moved to Tilonia, a small village in Rajasthan. Her husband had started Barefoot College there in 1972. It aimed to help the village develop.
Life in Tilonia was very different. There was no running water or electricity. There was no public transport or banks. Aruna had grown up in cities. She knew little about village life. She lived with 17 other college employees. They shared all the work, from cooking to teaching children. Barefoot College brought solar power to villages. They taught villagers how to use these systems.
At first, villagers didn't fully trust Aruna. They didn't like her new ideas about child-rearing. But Aruna liked this. She was treated as an equal, not an authority. She believed that poor people must lead their own change. She was just there to help. Some richer villagers were also hostile. This was because she helped weavers and leather workers. These groups belonged to Dalit castes. An old woman, Dhani Bhua, helped her fit in.
Aruna learned a lot in Tilonia. She realized that illiteracy didn't mean a lack of intelligence. Villagers had deep knowledge in their own fields. She called Tilonia her "real alma mater". She felt the villagers were better teachers than those in Delhi.
Barefoot College helped villages become self-sufficient. It got money from charities and governments. But Aruna wondered if it was making a big enough change. It didn't encourage large protests against the government. In 1981, she helped workers in Harmara village. They were on strike because they weren't paid enough. Aruna helped them get their full wages. She learned that information could help people organize.
Barefoot College went to court over unpaid wages. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the workers in 1983. This was a big win. In the same year, Aruna left Barefoot College. She wanted to find new ways to help people organize in rural India.
Years of Change (1983–1990)
From 1983 to 1987, Aruna worked with different groups. She helped tribal people and women in Rajasthan. She wanted to encourage them to work together. In 1985, she organized a mahila mela (women's festival) in Rajasthan. This was for rural women. It was the first time such a large group of poor rural women met in India. Thousands attended. They discussed violence against women openly. This helped shift the blame from victims to those who committed the violence.
In 1987, Aruna and her friends moved to Devdungri village. They wanted to start a new organization. They lived in a small, old hut. They fixed it up using traditional methods. They got a small grant to study poverty programs. This money became their starting budget. They lived simply, like the villagers.
Moving to Devdungri was a big change for Aruna. She wanted to create an organization where citizens could participate. She wanted to build trust with the villagers first. It was hard for her to gain their trust. People gossiped about her. They couldn't believe a former government officer would live so humbly. Aruna worked hard to be open and honest. She especially worked with women. She helped them with their problems. She encouraged them to protest issues they cared about. She found it easier than expected to mobilize them. This was because they were already active in public life.
In 1988, Aruna and her team helped villagers in Sohangarh. A powerful landlord had taken land meant for the community. The villagers refused to pay him. For two years, the landlord tried to scare them. But the activists helped the village win in court. The land was returned. It became a forested area for the villagers. This success showed how working together could make a difference.
Soon, people asked for their help again. Workers on a famine relief project weren't getting paid fully. This was due to corruption. The team advised workers to keep records. But even with proof, wages weren't paid. So, they organized a protest. Workers refused to accept any payment. They protested outside the magistrate's office. The media noticed this. A state government official promised to pay them. But local officials still cut their wages. The workers went to court. Only two workers who refused any payment won. The results were not good enough. So, the team decided to plan new strategies. In 1990, they decided to create a new organization. It would focus on large-scale protests.
Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (1990–2004)
On 1 May 1990, the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) was founded. Its name means "Workers' and Peasants' Power Collective." It started at a public gathering of about 1,000 people. Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey, and Shankar Singh were its main leaders.
MKSS was created to help poor people in rural areas. It aimed to secure their rights through collective action. It was not a political party or a traditional trade union. It had no official leader or strict rules. It didn't charge membership fees. It only took money from volunteers and supporters. It refused donations from governments or big companies.
The organization had different levels of members. A small core group of 15–20 people worked full-time. Another 40 members regularly joined protests. These two groups made decisions together. They had a larger support base of 6,000–8,000 people. Over time, more people joined as supporters. These included academics and even government officials. Aruna believed the small core group was important. It helped keep the organization democratic. It also ensured members followed strong ethics. They aimed to be honest and peaceful.
Later Work (2004–Present)
Aruna Roy has led many campaigns for the rights of poor people. She fought for the Right to Information. This law allows citizens to ask for government information. She also worked for the Right to Work. This led to the NREGA. This law guarantees 100 days of work each year for rural households. She also campaigned for the Right to Food.
More recently, she has worked for universal pensions. These are for workers in the informal sector. She also supports laws to protect whistleblowers. These laws protect people who report wrongdoing.
She was a member of the National Advisory Council until 2006. In 2016, she became a professor at McGill University in Montreal.
In 2018, Aruna Roy and the MKSS wrote a book. It's called The RTI Story: Power to the People. It tells the story of the Right to Information movement in India.
Awards and Recognition
Aruna Roy and the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan won the Times Fellowships Award in 1991. This was for their work helping rural workers. In 2000, she received the Ramon Magsaysay Award. This award is given for community leadership. In 2010, she won the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award. This was for her excellence in public service.
In 2011, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people. In 2017, Times of India listed her as a top human rights activist. In December 2024, the BBC included Aruna Roy on its 100 Women list.
See Also
- Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan
- Right to Information Act, 2005
- National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005
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Aruna Roy
