| Aruna Roy is a prominent Indian RTI activist and writer. She co-founded the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, leading to the enactment of the Right To Information Act 2005 in India. |
| Aruna hails from a well-educated Tamil-Brahmin family in Tamil Nadu, with a background of socialites, lawyers, and magistrates. |
| Her father, E. D. Jayaram, studied at Rabindranath Tagore’s Shantiniketan Ashram and encouraged Aruna to study at Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry. |
| Aruna amazed a panel at the age of 16 with her knowledge of legendary books at Indraprastha College for Women in Delhi. |
| At a young age, Aruna became fluent in languages like Tamil, English, French, and Hindi by her mid-20s. |
| Influenced by feminism, Aruna joined the Indian Administrative Services at 22 but resigned after 7 years to pursue other interests. |
| Aruna moved to Tilonia in Rajasthan at 28, where her husband managed the Barefoot College, a nonprofit organization founded by Sanjit Bunker Roy. |
| Adopting Mahatma Gandhi’s principles, Aruna co-founded the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan in 1990, striving for accountability laws, leading to the RTI Act 2005. |
| Aruna fought for the rights of below-poverty-line people and campaigned for a non-contributory pension among other causes. |
| She was part of efforts for the enactment of the Whistleblower Protection Law and Grievance Redress Act. |
| Aruna served in the NAC until 2006 and later became the president of The National Federation of Indian Women in 2008. |
| She is known for petitioning in the Supreme Court for social issues and human rights and was appointed professor at McGill University in 2016. |
| Aruna has authored multiple books on various subjects. |
