Aruna Roy, a social activist from Tilonia, Ajmer Rajasthan

Aruna Roy is a Social activist awarded by Roman Magsaysay award - valued as the Asian Nobel prize for community leadership and international understanding.
Aruna Roy and SWRC Tilonia
Aruna Roy was an IAS officer until 1974. She resigned from the IAS to join the Social Work and Research Center in Tilonia, Rajasthan, which had been set up by her husband Sanjit Roy. She worked at the SWRC until 1983, then moved to Devdoondri in 1990 and set up the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathana, a group which is a working example of a transparent organization. She is a strong supporter of the movement for Right to Information, which succeeded in getting the Rajasthan Right to Information Bill passed. People at tiloniya call her "Nani", Grand mother.
Aruna Roy and MKSS
The MKSS built a grassroots movement that has triggered broad debate and a nationwide demand for the public's right to scrutinize official records - a crucial check against arbitrary governance. In 2000, she was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay award for Community Leadership and International Understanding, along with Arputham, the President of the National Slumdwellers' Federation. Shankar Singh, along with Nikhil Dey, has been with Aruna Roy since her days at SWRC. They together founded MKSS and have been an integral part of the MKSS team since. Shankar was born and brought up in Tilonia. He was the fulcrum of the SWRC communication team.Through his warm, incisive wit and humorous way of perceiving reality - he created a combination of song, dance, drama and puppetry to explain finer points of issues like education, health and politics. In fact, it was his cousin sister's house in Devdoongri where MKSS began and is still located. While Aruna is from middle class, Shankar represents the majority culture of India. He would add an important dimension to make a holistic presentation of the reality.
Barefoot College Tilonia
They began with foundation of the "Barefoot College" imparting the skills of rural self-sufficiency, and moved on to coach the people in the art of making their government work too! Through "Jansunvai", villagers now cross-check bills, vouchers and employment rolls to expose schoolhouses and health clinics paid for but never really constructed or famine and drought relief services recorded but never rendered! This movement soon caught nation-wide imagination, helping pass Right-to-information laws in Rajasthan and three other states. A right to information bill is now pending action at the the national parliament. Aruna's journey from an IAS officer to a social worker forms a pivotal section of "Bapu Kuti: Journeys in Rediscovery of Gandhi"- a book on current generation Indians in their struggle for social transformation.
Note: Why i am writing about her, Because she belongs to My village tilonia and i know her work for social revolution.