Aruna Roy - Revision history

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{{short description|Indian activist}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Aruna Roy
|image = Aruna Roy (2019).jpg
|caption =
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1946|06|26}}
|birth_place = [[Chennai]]
|death_date = 
|death_place =
|other_names =
|office = President of the [[National Federation of Indian Women]]
|term_start = 2008
|term_end =
|predecessor = [[Kunjulekshmi Saradamoni|Dr. K. Saradamoni]]
|successor =
|alma_mater = [[Delhi University]]
|occupation = Activist
|nationality = Indian
|awards = [[Ramon Magsaysay Award]], 2000; [[Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award]], 2010
}}

'''Aruna Roy''' (born 26 June 1946) is an [[India]]n [[political]] and [[social activist]] who founded the [[Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathana|Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan]] (MKSS) ("Workers and Peasants Strength Union") along with Shankar Singh, [[Nikhil Dey]] and many others. Roy is known for her clear and vocal stand on the question of [[right to dissent]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://asiasociety.org/india/aruna-roy-speaks-managing-dissent|title=Aruna Roy Speaks on Managing Dissent}}</ref> and known for her work for the vulnerable sections of society, she was also a member of the [[National Advisory Council]] which was set up by the then UPA-1 government which was headed by [[Sonia Gandhi]] through most of its tenure. She is the president of [[National Federation of Indian Women]].

== Early life ==
Roy grew up in [[Delhi]] where her father was a government employee. She studied English literature at [[Indraprastha College]], [[Delhi University]].<ref>{{ cite news|title=Aruna Roy (Indian activist) -- Encyclopædia Britannica|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1911907/Aruna-Roy|newspaper= [[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|date= 30 January 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{ cite news|title= DU has a lot on its ladies special platter |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/DU+has+a+lot+on+its+ladies+special+platter/1/44882.html|newspaper= [[India Today]]|date= 3 June 2009 }}</ref>

She served as a [[civil servant]] in the [[Indian Administrative Service]] between 1968 and 1974.

== Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan ==
Roy resigned from the civil services and began to work on issues related to the poor and marginalised. She joined the [[Social Work and Research Center]] (SWRC) in [[Tilonia]], Rajasthan.<ref>[[Ritu Menon|Menon, Ritu]] (2002). ''Women Who Dared''. National Book Trust, India. {{ISBN|81-237-3856-0}}. pp 169-170.</ref><ref>[http://nrcw.nic.in/shared/sublinkimages/107.htm Aruna Roy] National Resource Center for Women, [[Govt. of India]].</ref> In 1987, she along with [[Nikhil Dey]], Shankar Singh and others founded the [[Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan]].<ref>[http://www.civilsocietyonline.com/pages/Details.aspx?83 MKSS As a Role Model] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222212703/http://www.civilsocietyonline.com/pages/Details.aspx?83 |date=22 February 2014 }}, ''Civil Society Online''. Jan 2012</ref>

The MKSS began by fighting for fair and equal wages for workers which shaped and evolved into a struggle for the enactment of India's Right to Information Act. Aruna Roy is a leader of the [[Right to Information]] movement in India through the MKSS and the [[National Campaign for People's Right to Information]] (NCPRI), which was finally successful with the passage of the [[Right to Information Act]] in 2005.<ref>''Blacked out: government secrecy in the information age'', by Alasdair Scott Roberts. Cambridge University Press, 2006.</ref>

== Campaigns ==
Aruna Roy has been at the forefront of a number of campaigns for the rights of the poor and the marginalised. These have included, most prominently, the [[Right to Information Act, 2005|Right to Information]], the [[Right to work|Right to Work]] (the [[National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005|NREGA]]),<ref>{{Cite web|title = Matersfamilias {{!}} Saba Naqvi {{!}} Aug 24,2015|url = http://www.outlookindia.com/article/matersfamilias/295068|website = www.outlookindia.com|access-date = 2015-08-27}}</ref> and the [https://nhrc.nic.in/press-release/right-food-fundamental-right Right to Food].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nhrc.nic.in/press-release/right-food-fundamental-right|title=Right to Food- A Fundamental Right|website=National Human Rights Commission, India|access-date=10 March 2020}}</ref> More recently, she has been involved with the campaign for universal, non-contributory pension for unorganised sector workers as a member of the Pension Parishad<ref>{{Cite news|title = Pension Parishad calls off strike|url = http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/pension-parishad-calls-off-strike/article5487007.ece|newspaper = The Hindu|date = 2013-12-21|access-date = 2015-08-27|issn = 0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = Forgotten Brethren {{!}} Harsh Mander {{!}} Apr 20,2015|url = http://www.outlookindia.com/article/forgotten-brethren/293980|website = www.outlookindia.com|access-date = 2015-08-27}}</ref> and the NCPRI for the passage and enactment of the Whistleblower Protection Law and Grievance Redress Act.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Aruna Roy seeks early passage of grievance redress, whistleblower bills|date = 19 December 2013|url = http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/aruna-roy-seeks-early-passage-of-grievance-redress-whistleblower-bills_898018.html|access-date = 2015-08-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = The Fate of RTI After One Year of Modi is a Bad Omen|url = http://thewire.in/2015/05/27/the-fate-of-rti-after-one-year-of-modi-is-a-bad-omen-2535/|website = The Wire|access-date = 2015-08-27|first = Aruna|last = Roy|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151018172904/http://thewire.in/2015/05/27/the-fate-of-rti-after-one-year-of-modi-is-a-bad-omen-2535/|archive-date = 18 October 2015|url-status = dead}}</ref>

== Awards and other work ==
She served as a member of the [[National Advisory Council]] (NAC) until 2006 when she resigned.<ref name="hi">{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2005/06/04/stories/2005060404461200.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060301014639/http://www.hindu.com/2005/06/04/stories/2005060404461200.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 March 2006|work=[[The Hindu]]|title=NAC reconstituted|date=4 June 2005}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = Daughter Of The Dust {{!}} Urvashi Butalia {{!}} Oct 16,2006|url = http://www.outlookindia.com/article/daughter-of-the-dust/232838|website = www.outlookindia.com|access-date = 2015-08-27}}</ref>

While with the [[Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathana|Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan]], Aruna Roy was awarded the Times Fellowships Award for 1991 for her work for rural workers rights to social justice and creative development. In 2000, she received the [[Ramon Magsaysay Award]] for [[List of Magsaysay awardees#Community Leadership|Community Leadership]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.rmaf.org.ph/Awardees/Citation/CitationRoyAru.htm |title=Ramon Magsaysay Award Citation |access-date=7 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120507004705/http://www.rmaf.org.ph/Awardees/Citation/CitationRoyAru.htm |archive-date=7 May 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2010 she received the [[Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award]] for Excellence in Public Administration, Academia and Management.<ref>[http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article808021.ece Thehindu.com]</ref> In 2011, she was named as one of the hundred most influential people in the world by ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine.<ref>{{Cite news|title = The 2011 Time 100 |url = http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2066367_2066369_2066499,00.html|newspaper = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date = 2011-04-21|access-date = 2015-08-27|issn=0040-781X|first = Jyoti|last = Thottam}}</ref> In September 2017 the ''[[The Times of India|Times of India]]'' listed Roy as one of the 11 Human Rights Activists Whose Life Mission Is To Provide Others With A Dignified Life.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Anjali Bisaria|title=11 Human Rights Activists Whose Life Mission Is To Provide Others With A Dignified Life/|date=7 September 2017|url=http://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/11-human-rights-activists-whose-life-mission-is-to-provide-others-with-a-dignified-life-329273.html|publisher=[[Times Internet]]}}</ref>

She was also appointed the 2016 professor of practice in global governance at [[McGill University]], in [[Montreal]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Professor of Practice Profile: Aruna Roy|url=https://www.mcgill.ca/isid/article/professor-profile/professor-practice-profile-aruna-roy|access-date=2020-11-17|website=ISID|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Professors of Practice in Global Governance|url=https://www.mcgill.ca/isid/global-governance/professors-practice-global-governance|access-date=2020-11-17|website=ISID|language=en}}</ref>

In 2018, along with the [[Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan|MKSS]] collective, Roy published a book chronicling the history of the Right to Information movement in India titled ''The RTI Story: Power to the People''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=New book on RTI an ode to unknown soldiers of the struggle|url=https://www.theweek.in/review/books/2018/04/15/new-book-rti-ode-unknown-soldiers-struggle.html|access-date=2020-11-17|website=The Week|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Book review {{!}} 'The RTI Story: Power to the People' a memoir-cum-textual tome|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/lifestyle/books/2018/may/10/book-review--the-rti-story-power-to-the-people-a-memoir-cum-textual-tome-1812867.html|access-date=2020-11-17|website=The New Indian Express}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Raman|first=Anuradha|date=2018-05-12|title='The RTI Story: Power to the People' review: Towards transparency|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/books/books-reviews/the-rti-story-power-to-the-people-review-towards-transparency/article23851563.ece|access-date=2020-11-17|issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Ahluwalia|first=Sanjeev|date=2018-04-27|title=Book Review: Read it to know the pain and joy of activism|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/lifestyle/books-and-art/270418/read-it-to-know-the-pain-and-joy-of-activism.html|access-date=2020-11-17|website=Deccan Chronicle|language=en}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|last1=Gupta|first1=Indra|title=India's 50 Most Illustrious Women|date=2004|publisher=Icon Publications|location=New Delhi|isbn=9788188086030}}
*{{cite book|last1=Bail|first1=S|last2=Bansal|first2=S|title=Icons of social change|date=2004|publisher=Puffin Books|location=New Delhi}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Aruna Roy}}
{{more footnotes|date=August 2014}}
* [http://www.livemint.com/2007/05/11000841/The-idea-of-India--Aruna-Roy.html The idea of India by Aruna Roy] - ''[[Mint (newspaper)|Mint]]''
* [http://www.rediff.com/news/2000/jul/26award1.htm The Rediff Interview/ Aruna Roy] - [[Rediff.com]]

{{RMA winners of India}}
{{Ramon Magsaysay Award Winners}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roy, Aruna}}
[[Category:Indian women activists]]
[[Category:Activists from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Freedom of information activists]]
[[Category:Indraprastha College for Women alumni]]
[[Category:University of Delhi alumni]]
[[Category:Ramon Magsaysay Award winners]]
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Chennai]]
[[Category:Members of National Advisory Council, India]]
[[Category:Indian civil servants]]
[[Category:Women in Tamil Nadu politics]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women]]
[[Category:Social workers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian educators]]
[[Category:Educators from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Indian Administrative Service officers]]
[[Category:Women educators from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Social workers from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Communist Party of India politicians from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:20th-century women educators]]
[[Category:Female politicians of the Communist Party of India]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:46, 7 January 2022
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	'''Aruna Roy''' (née Jayaram, born 26 June 1946) is an Indian social activist, professor, union organiser and former civil servant. She is the president of the [[National Federation of Indian Women]] and founder of the [[Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan]].		'''Aruna Roy''' (née Jayaram, born 6 June 1946) is an Indian social activist, professor, union organiser and former civil servant. She is the president of the [[National Federation of Indian Women]] and founder of the [[Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan]].

	== Early life and education ==		== Early life and education ==
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	== Career and activism ==		== Career and activism ==
	=== Civil services (1968–1974) ===		=== Civil services (1968–1974) ===
	Aruna was a part of the [[Union Territories]] cadre but was sent to Tamil Nadu for her probationary period as she knew the Tamil language. Her first assignment was that of an assistant to the supervising administrator (known as [[District Collector]]) of [[Tiruchi district]]. She opted for and was granted a transfer to [[Vellore district]] (at the time known as North Arcot) after her supervisor in Tiruchi refused to ~~entertain~~ her. [[T. V. Venkataram]] was the Collector in Vellore and he made a lasting impact on Aruna and others assigned as assistants to him. They were provided with independent charges under supervision which was unconventional in the system.<ref name=":33" /><ref name=":42">{{Cite book\|last=Athimoolam\|first=N.\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DuElEAAAQBAJ&q=Arcot+aruna+roy&pg=PA6\|title=A Bureaucrat from a Hamlet\|publisher=Blue Rose Publishers\|year=2021\|pages=6\|language=en}}</ref> Aruna married a batch mate of hers from University of Delhi, [[Sanjit Roy]] in 1970.<ref name=":52" /><ref name=":12" /> He belonged to a [[Bengalis\|Bengali]] family and had involved himself in social work since his time in college.<ref name=":12" /> She changed her name to Aruna Roy (née Jayaram) after marriage. By the time of her marriage, Roy was a Sub-Collector in the [[Pondicherry\|Union Territory of Pondicherry]] and after marriage, she was granted a transfer to the [[Union Territory of Delhi]] as she had married a person who lived in that region.<ref name=":33" /><ref name=":42" />		Aruna was a part of the [[Union Territories]] cadre but was sent to Tamil Nadu for her probationary period as she knew the Tamil language. Her first assignment was that of an assistant to the supervising administrator (known as [[District Collector]]) of [[Tiruchi district]]. She opted for and was granted a transfer to [[Vellore district]] (at the time known as North Arcot) after her supervisor in Tiruchi refused to mentor her. [[T. V. Venkataram]] was the Collector in Vellore and he made a lasting impact on Aruna and others assigned as assistants to him. They were provided with independent charges under supervision which was unconventional in the system.<ref name=":33" /><ref name=":42">{{Cite book\|last=Athimoolam\|first=N.\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DuElEAAAQBAJ&q=Arcot+aruna+roy&pg=PA6\|title=A Bureaucrat from a Hamlet\|publisher=Blue Rose Publishers\|year=2021\|pages=6\|language=en}}</ref> Aruna married a batch mate of hers from University of Delhi, [[Sanjit Roy]] in 1970.<ref name=":52" /><ref name=":12" /> He belonged to a [[Bengalis\|Bengali]] family and had involved himself in social work since his time in college.<ref name=":12" /> She changed her name to Aruna Roy (née Jayaram) after marriage. By the time of her marriage, Roy was a Sub-Collector in the [[Pondicherry\|Union Territory of Pondicherry]] and after marriage, she was granted a transfer to the [[Union Territory of Delhi]] as she had married a person who lived in that region.<ref name=":33" /><ref name=":42" />

	Roy's first assignment in Delhi was that of a [[Sub-Divisional Magistrate]]. She oversaw six police jurisdictions and besides her regular duties, had to manage student protests and election duty. Over the following period, she became the Deputy Secretary for finance and in 1973, was promoted to the position of [[Secretary of state\|Secretary]] to the [[Lieutenant Governor of Delhi]]. She was disillusioned with the civil services by this time.<ref name=":33" /> Aruna had joined the services as she saw it as a means of working for [[social justice]] within a constitutional framework, with the conviction that the provisions of the [[Indian Constitution]], if implemented, was the correct standards for providing decent and equitable treatment to citizens. She was aware before joining that there was corruption in the system but thought it was possible to enact reform from within. In contrast, after around 7 years within the system, she came to see the organisation as a hidebound institution where feudal and colonial values were nurtured. According to her, while it was possible for honest officials to not engage in [[collusion]], the only recourse they had at most times was silence and inaction.<ref>{{Cite book\|last=Winston\|first=K.\|title=Ethics in Public Life: Good Practitioners in a Rising Asia\|publisher=[[Springer Nature\|Springer]]\|year=2015\|isbn=978-1-137-49205-0\|pages=187\|language=en}}</ref>		Roy's first assignment in Delhi was that of a [[Sub-Divisional Magistrate]]. She oversaw six police jurisdictions and besides her regular duties, had to manage student protests and election duty. Over the following period, she became the Deputy Secretary for finance and in 1973, was promoted to the position of [[Secretary of state\|Secretary]] to the [[Lieutenant Governor of Delhi]]. She was disillusioned with the civil services by this time.<ref name=":33" /> Aruna had joined the services as she saw it as a means of working for [[social justice]] within a constitutional framework, with the conviction that the provisions of the [[Indian Constitution]], if implemented, was the correct standards for providing decent and equitable treatment to citizens. She was aware before joining that there was corruption in the system but thought it was possible to enact reform from within. In contrast, after around 7 years within the system, she came to see the organisation as a hidebound institution where feudal and colonial values were nurtured. According to her, while it was possible for honest officials to not engage in [[collusion]], the only recourse they had at most times was silence and inaction.<ref>{{Cite book\|last=Winston\|first=K.\|title=Ethics in Public Life: Good Practitioners in a Rising Asia\|publisher=[[Springer Nature\|Springer]]\|year=2015\|isbn=978-1-137-49205-0\|pages=187\|language=en}}</ref>
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	=== Foundation of the MKSS (1983–1996) ===		=== Foundation of the MKSS (1983–1996) ===
	Between 1983 and 1987, Roy moved around working with various tribal and women's group in Rajasthan and neighbouring states, looking to encourage collective action.<ref name=":0" /> She remained associated with the Barefoot College and would return to Tilonia to help out with their work from time to time.<ref name=":33" /> In 1985, she was invited to attend the international women's conference in [[Nairobi]], [[Kenya]] but she did not attend it and instead organised a ''mahila [[mela]]'' (women's festival) in Rajasthan to act as its counterpart, with the view of starting a forum for rural women as the international women's movement was largely centered on middle class urban women. The ''mela'' was organised with the help of the Barefoot College, [[Seva Mandir]] and the [[Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata\|Institute of Development Studies]]. It was the first [[women's rights]] congregation in India which focused on poor rural women and saw the attendance of thousands from all across the country. The festival featured games, competitions, arts and crafts, workshops and socio-political discussions, and concluded with a ''prabhat pheri'' (morning invocation walk), a protest demonstration in the nearby town of [[Kishangarh]] against the rape of a 11 year old child.<ref>{{Cite book\|last=Mathur\|first=Kanchan\|title=Countering Gender Violence: Initiatives Towards Collective Action in Rajasthan\|publisher=[[SAGE Publications]]\|year=2004\|isbn=978-81-321-0329-5\|pages=265–266\|language=en}}</ref> The ''mela'' was the first instance of a public discussion on [[violence against women]] in that area and marked a shift in attitude where the onus for shame was laid on the perpetrators than the victims.<ref>{{Cite book\|last=Mathur\|first=Kanchan\|title=Countering Gender Violence: Initiatives Towards Collective Action in Rajasthan\|publisher=[[SAGE Publications]]\|year=2004\|isbn=978-81-321-0329-5\|pages=266–267\|language=en}}</ref>		Between 1983 and 1987, Roy moved around working with various tribal and women's group in Rajasthan and neighbouring states, looking to encourage collective action.<ref name=":0" /> She remained associated with the Barefoot College and would return to Tilonia to help out with their work from time to time.<ref name=":33" /> In 1985, she was invited to attend the international women's conference in [[Nairobi]], [[Kenya]] but she did not attend it and instead organised a ''mahila [[mela]]'' (women's festival) in Rajasthan to act as its counterpart, with the view of starting a forum for rural women as the international women's movement was largely centered on middle class urban women. The ''mela'' was organised with the help of the Barefoot College, [[Seva Mandir]] and the [[Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata\|Institute of Development Studies]]. It was the first [[women's rights]] congregation in India which focused on poor rural women and saw the attendance of thousands from all across the country. The festival featured games, competitions, arts and crafts, workshops and socio-political discussions, and concluded with a ''prabhat pheri'' (morning invocation walk), a protest demonstration in the nearby town of [[Kishangarh]] against the rape of a 11 year old child.<ref>{{Cite book\|last=Mathur\|first=Kanchan\|title=Countering Gender Violence: Initiatives Towards Collective Action in Rajasthan\|publisher=[[SAGE Publications]]\|year=2004\|isbn=978-81-321-0329-5\|pages=265–266\|language=en}}</ref> The ''mela'' was the first instance of a public discussion on [[violence against women]] in that area and is described to have marked a shift in attitude where the onus for shame was laid on the perpetrators than the victims.<ref>{{Cite book\|last=Mathur\|first=Kanchan\|title=Countering Gender Violence: Initiatives Towards Collective Action in Rajasthan\|publisher=[[SAGE Publications]]\|year=2004\|isbn=978-81-321-0329-5\|pages=266–267\|language=en}}</ref>

	=== Right to Information movement (1996–2006) ===		=== Right to Information movement (1996–2006) ===