I went to a very elitist, snobbish, expensive education in India, and it almost killed me. I was all set to be a diplomat, teacher, doctor - all laid out.

There is no certificate of graduation. You are certified by the community you serve.

a professional is someone who is a combination of competence, confidence and beliefe

In India, I'm always 'Aruna Roy's husband.'

School is something that you learn - reading and writing. Education is what you learn from the family, from the environment, from the community.

In 1965, I went to what was called the worst Bihar famine in India, and I saw starvation, death, people dying of hunger, for the first time. It changed my life. I came back home, told my mother, 'I'd like to live and work in a village.' Mother went into a coma.