Today’s program
will be presented
in Hindi and English,
with subtitles in Arabic,
Aulacese (Vietnamese),
Chinese, English,
French, German,
Hindi, Hungarian,
Indonesian, Japanese,
Korean, Malay,
Persian, Portuguese,
Russian, Thai
and Spanish.
Everywhere in the world,
we can observe
and be touched
by acts of kindness.
People from all walks of
life, faiths, and cultures
extend themselves
beyond the call of duty
to help others
unconditionally.
Through their noble deeds,
humanity as a whole
is elevated.
To commend
virtuous actions and
encourage more people
to be inspired
by their examples,
Supreme Master
Ching Hai
has lovingly created
a series of awards,
including the Shining
World Leadership
Award, Shining World
Compassion Award,
Shining World Hero and
Heroine Awards, Shining
World Honesty Award,
Shining World Protection
Award, Shining World
Intelligence Award,
and Shining World
Inventor Award,
to recognize some
of the most exemplary,
generous, caring,
and courageous people
who walk amongst us.
In a solar cooker,
you can cook food
without any wood.
The joyful voices
and laughter of women
and girls can be heard
in small villages
throughout India’s
Rajasthan state and in
dozens of other countries
including sub-Saharan
Africa, South America,
and Afghanistan.
You need neither gas
nor a stove.
A soft glow flickers
in the dark night.
Youths are gathered
together, intently
poring over their papers
as they are filled
with expanding hope.
Solar lanterns
provide them with light
to do their studies.
These are the diligent
students of Barefoot
College’s night schools.
Founded in 1972 by
Mr. Sanjit Bunker Roy,
Barefoot College
was set up with the ideal
of providing impoverished
rural residents with
practical, sustainable skills
to better their own lives
and benefit
their communities.
The goal is to empower
the most vulnerable
people in society
with the tools
to live productive lives
in dignity and self-respect.
People locally who want
to learn from each other,
interested in
doing something
for the community’s best.
These people are barefoot,
who are illiterate,
semiliterate local people,
the rural women
can come and learn
from each other
together in this place.
So this place is a college.
Supported by a group of
like-minded professionals,
including lawyers,
engineers, and doctors,
Mr. Roy
established the first
Barefoot College campus
in Tilonia, Rajasthan
with a vision that, “…
it will not be the training
for training’s sake;
it would be the view
to place young men
and women in positions
of responsibility
in their villages
and mobilize
their existing potential.”
Thus, local villagers
are provided with
information and training
on solar power generation,
rainwater harvesting,
healthcare provision,
and education to become
self-reliant citizens.
Bunker Roy,
the founder member
of the Barefoot College,
he said that okay, what
can the village people do
themselves for their life,
how can they can change
or how can they improve
their life themselves?
Local persons have
experience knowledge,
they have their
local knowledge and
the professional, they
have books knowledge.
In Rajasthan, one of the
biggest challenges faced
by many of the residents
of the arid desert
is the availability
of drinking water.
In 1986,
Barefoot College engineers
reintroduced the concept
of rainwater harvesting
to the people of Rajasthan.
Rainwater harvesting
is an ancient technique
which collects and stores
rain water to replenish and
recharge the water table,
this simple
yet effective approach
ensures adequate supply
of clean drinking water
for the entire community
throughout
the drought season.
To date,
13 villages now benefit
from community piped
water supply systems,
designed and implemented
by the village people.
They start
for the drinking water.
And slowly, slowly
the persons from the city
and the persons from
the village, they come and
join the Barefoot College
and they said,
“Okay, we want to
work for this also.”
Barefoot College
also trains local people
to be skilled masons who
can apply themselves
in construction work
and the maintenance
of water structures.
This provides
work opportunities
and income as well as
ensures self-reliance
within the village.
I work in my own village
and in some
other villages as well,
I make 960 rupees a month
from reparing the pumps.
I was trained at the college.
In the beginning,
it was difficult
because I am a woman,
but there were
other women as well,
so that gave me
the confidence to do it.
It’s an important job,
because
everybody needs water.
Another initiative
of Barefoot College
that has resulted in
profound transformations
for rural communities
is the introduction
of solar lanterns
and solar cookers.
They have a small solar
workshop in their village,
they can repair,
do maintenance, they can
buy things from their city,
or they can
involve the people,
by giving the information.
This is
the way of sustainability
and the Barefoot College
believes these things and
so for the last 35 years,
the Barefoot College
is sustained
through the system.
Operating on solar energy
itself, the College
trains rural women
in less fortunate
circumstances as
Barefoot Solar Engineers
to manufacture,
install and maintain solar
home lighting systems
in their own villages.
I came to Tilonia
to learn about solar.
After the solar training,
they decided to train me
in solar cookers.
Within a year, I knew
this is the only thing
I want to do.
The success
of Barefoot College’s
solar energy program
has garnered
international attention,
with people
from around the globe
traveling to India to study
its sustainable model.
After these brief messages,
we’ll be right back
with more
about Barefoot College’s
social work
and the Shining World
Compassion Award
presentation.
Please stay tuned
to Supreme Master
Television.
Sunlight is enough
to cook food
in this solar cooker.
It has a mirror,
it has a reflector.
It also has a timer,
this solar cooker.
Welcome back,
gracious viewers,
to today’s program
featuring the presentation
of the Shining World
Compassion Award to
Mr. Sanjit Bunker Roy,
founder and director
of Barefoot College
in the heart
of Rajasthan, India.
The organization
was initially established
to help improve
rural living conditions
in the village of Tilonia.
Since the 1980s,
Barefoot College
has solved the issue
of power shortage for
innumerable communities,
by generating
clean, solar energy from
the long daylight hours
in the Rajasthani desert.
We have enough sun
in Rajasthan and
we can use this energy,
We train people
from Afghanistan,
from Ethiopia, Mali,
Sierra Leone, Gambia,
Cameroon,
and Bolivia too.
The implementation of
the solar lighting system
has opened up
new opportunities
for working children
in remote villages.
Night school is yet another
important initiative
of Barefoot College,
which provides evening
classes for young people,
particularly girls,
who have to work
during the day to
provide for their families.
I stopped going
to day school because
I have to help my family
with the animals.
I took a training course
in Tilonia,
and now I make clothes
for my family
and my neighbors.
The training
was very good for me.
Over 250 Barefoot night
schools have been set up
in 6 Indian states for
the benefit of the children.
Children attend
night school for five years
and learn reading,
writing and arithmetic
while also gaining
practical knowledge on
various topics of interest.
Students from different
families and backgrounds
gather here to exchange
their skills and experiences
with one another.
We have some traditional
musician with us,
which is a young boy.
They already learned
from their parents,
so this is our
traditional knowledge
and traditional skill.
The villagers
share their talents
with each other through
the Puppet Theater,
which serves
to provide entertainment
while informing
its audiences about
health issues and education.
We can improvise together,
so they can support us
through music
and we can support them
through knowledge.
Then we can
improvise something
and then we can perform
puppet play in the village.
So this is both sides,
learning and teaching.
So we learn from people
and we teach to people.
To date, Barefoot College
serves over
125,000 students in India
and has transformed
many rural villages
to self-reliant,
green communities.
Earlier this year,
Barefoot College
was named as
one of the recipients of
Sierra Club’s first ever
“Green Energy
& Green Livelihoods
Achievement Award.”
Touched
by his loving heart for
Impoverished co-citizens,
Supreme Master Ching Hai
recognized
Mr. Sanjit Bunker Roy,
founder and director
of Barefoot College,
with the Shining World
Compassion Award.
Due to prior
Commitments,
Mr. Roy was not able
to accept the award
in person, however,
about 500 local villagers,
including teachers,
students, and staff
of Barefoot College
were on hand to greet
Supreme Master Ching Hai
International
Association members.
You are Rama,
you are Rahim
you are Karim, Krishna
and Khuda all.
You are
Wahe Guru himself.
You are present
in all names (of God)
In addition to the Award,
Supreme Master Ching Hai
made a contribution
of US$5000 to support
the constructive work
of Barefoot College.
Gifts were also presented
which included
Supreme Master Ching Hai’s
#1 international
best sellers,
“The Noble Wilds” and
“The Dogs in My Life.”
Master Ching Hai
is a spiritual person,
so this is very nice
and I think
this is very important.
Bunker is our
Barefoot College founder.
His dream is very large.
He thinks every time
about poorest of poor.
He believed in rural
community approaches,
mind and opportunity.
He thinks if we are
give the opportunities to
rural community persons,
that community persons
is very powerful
about her knowledge
and all his knowledge.
So every time Bunker has
given that opportunity
to the persons.
And he is a very
great heart person.
On behalf of Mr. Roy,
the Headmistress of
Barefoot College received
the Shining World
Compassion Award
with utmost gladness.
We give a lot of thanks
about the award.
I give again thanks
on behalf of our director
and our Barefoot College.
We are again thanks to
Master Ching Hai.
We are grateful
for the Supreme Master
Ching Hai
Compassion Award.
Such awards encourage
us and teach us
to face adversities.
We give
our thanks and gratitude
on behalf of Director
Mr. Sanjit Bunker Roy
and the Barefoot College.
Thank you.
The Barefoot College
approach
has brought about
a higher quality of life
and greater hope
to rural communities
all around India as well
as other countries.
We thank Mr. Sanjit
Bunker Roy and all staff
of Barefoot College
for their uplifting work
and ongoing efforts
to assist society’s
most vulnerable.
Heaven bless
your noble ideals
with fruitful success.
For more information
about Barefoot College,
please visit:
It was a pleasure
having you with us for
today’s Shining World
Compassion Award series
on Enlightening
Entertainment.
Coming up next is
Words of Wisdom,
after Noteworthy News.
Please keep your dial
tuned here
to Supreme Master
Television.
May loving kindness
permeate the lives
of all beings.
Four female singers: In a solar cooker， you can cook food without any wood.
HOST
(IN HINDI): The joyful voices and laughter of women and girls can be
heard in small villages throughout India’s Rajasthan state and in
dozens of other countries including sub-Saharan Africa， South America，
and Afghanistan.
Four female singers: You need neither gas nor a stove.
HOST:
A soft glow flickers in the dark night. Youths are gathered together，
intently poring over their papers as they are filled with expanding
hope. Solar lanterns provide them with light to do their studies. These
are the diligent students of Barefoot College’s night schools.
HOST:
Founded in １９７２ by Mr. Sanjit Bunker Roy， Barefoot College was set up
with the ideal of providing impoverished rural residents with
practical， sustainable skills to better their own lives and benefit
their communities.
The goal is to empower the most vulnerable
people in society with the tools to live productive lives in dignity
and self-respect.
Ram Niwas(m): People locally who want to
learn from each other， interested in doing something for the
community’s best. These people are barefoot， who are illiterate，
semiliterate local people， the rural women
Ram Niwas(m): can come and learn from each other together in this place. So this place is a college.
HOST:
Supported by a group of like-minded professionals， including lawyers，
engineers， and doctors， Mr. Roy established the first Barefoot College
campus in Tilonia， Rajasthan with a vision that， “…
it will not be
the training for training’s sake; it would be the view to place young
men and women in positions of responsibility in their villages and
mobilize their existing potential.”
Thus， local villagers are
provided with information and training on solar power generation，
rainwater harvesting， healthcare provision， and education to become
self-reliant citizens.
Teja Ram Ji (m):
Bunker Roy， the founder member of the Barefoot College， he said that
okay， what can the village people do themselves for their life， how can
they can change or how can they improve their life themselves? Local
persons have experience knowledge， they have their local knowledge and
the professional， they have books knowledge.
For more information about Barefoot College，
please visit:
www.barefootcollege.org