The death of Sanjit Bunker Roy at the age of 81 marks the end of an extraordinary chapter in India’s history of social transformation. At a time when social work was regarded with disdain and often considered the refuge of those who could not find a proper job, Roy chose it as his life’s calling. He did not merely challenge conventional wisdom; he demonstrated that the poorest people could become agents of their own transformation. His wife, Aruna Roy, recalled in her memoirs how a magistrate once dismissed Bunker Roy as someone who had failed to secure a proper job. Little did he know that the man he was belittling had been India’s national squash champion in 1965 and had represented the country in three world championships.

Born in 1945,........

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