The Aga Khan's award was not given on these Roys for rainwater harvesting but was for "architecture". Bunker Roy misrepresented that some local villagers were "barefoot architects".
The matter was brought to the attention of the Council of Architecture, which is governed by an act of Parliament to regulate architecture in the country. It then transpired that a Delhi based architect Neehar Raina had designed the project, and he approached the Aga Khan foundation to give him the sole credit and award. Having already cited and paid Bunker Roy and the locals, the Aga Khan foundation added Raina's name. This therefore created a furore in architectural circles and every prominent architects body has roundly denounced Bunker Roy's illegal actions in claiming that illiterate, uneducated villagers can be equated with professionally qualified architects who are selected after an open competitive process and undergo rigorous studies.
It is important to note that the Aga Khan foundation ultimately credited Nehhar Raina as the architect and found the villagers to be merely construction workers.
The amount involved was not insignificant - US$,50,000 and Roy is still to return it. This shows the extraordinary lengths to which Aruna Roy and her husband are prepared to lie and/or misrepresent and.or deceive to get foreign funding
For your reference please see these links.
http://www.indianexpress.com/oldStory/5452/
http://www.indianexpress.com/oldStory/5264/
http://www.architexturez.net/+/subject-listing/000146.shtml
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=22451
I also resent your attempts to refer to my religion and caste. It is an old divisive tactic of leftist Maoists to raise the bogey of "Hindu fascism" and "Brahmanvadi" when the facts go against you.
I also wish to clarify that the comments you are referring to are not mine but are extracts from a lengthy and widely circulated article by Aruna Roy's IAS colleague / batchmate who can be presumed to know her better than you.
S D Sharma
Dear Mr. S. D. Sharma,
I have gone through your mail. As far as I know the idea of rai
harvesting belonged to Mr. Sanjit Bunker Roy and the professional
architect called Neehar just put it on the paper . It happens
everywhere and the credit must go to the original thinker.
However, I do not want any debate with you regarding this.
But some of languages show that you are a Hindu High caste
Brhmyanabadi person and therefore, I protest against your statement
about Mr. and Mrs Roy. I personally know Mrs. Aruna Roy, former IAS
and a dedicated Social Activist, who relentlessly fought in favour of
agricultural labourers and as a result of her tireless effort, RTI Act
had been passed in India. Though I do not believe now in Marxism and
Maoism, but I believe that many activities of Mr. and Mrs. Roy are
very much helpful to the development and empowerment of the poor and
oppressed. All the people of India must extend full support towards
their humanitarian effort.
With all best wishes.
Yours sincerely
Malay Dewanji
Editor, GANABIKASH
A Bengali News Magazine.
--On Tue, Jan 18, 2011 at 7:42 PM, S.D. Sharma <anonsharma@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> "Bunker Roy's wife Aruna Roy, is a Maoist"
> http://cms.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=7756
>
> "One Sanjit 'Bunker' Roy was given a prize by the Aga Khan foundation for having developed rainwater harvesting structures. Later investigations by The Week clearly revealed that he had hired a professional architect called Neehar Raina to get the job done. Upon this exposure, Aga Khan Foundation changed its citation to fit in with the known facts! A secularly shameless non-communal Roy, ended up by returning his prize. Bunker Roy's wife Aruna Roy, is a Maoist and has worked closely with AID. Like many who have worked closely with AID in its undeclared mission of national subversion, she too has been awarded a prize by the Ramon Magsaysay Foundation."
>
> "AID is a secretive organisation which enjoys the full political support of the UPA Government in New Delhi. It was AID which extended generous financial support to Sandeep Pandey, founder of ASHA and a known Naxalite sympathizer, to undertake a political trip to Pakistan some years ago."
>
> " 'Apart from CAIR, a few of the groups that AID associates itself with are ASHA for Education (ASHA), Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), (The Youth Wing of the Communist Party of India-Marxist), and Friends of South Asia (FOSA). Each of these organisations has dubious credentials. And many of the volunteers of organisations like ASHA and FOSA are also volunteers for AID. In many cases, the same group of people is behind multiple organisations with pompous-sounding names and uses them as money-generating schemes. Thus it comes as no surprise to know that Anu Mandavilli, a spokesperson for FOSA, is also an editor AID's monthly newsletter.'"
Malay Dewanji
Hony. General Secretary, LAMP, Kolkata.
and
Hony. Secretary General, AIAVA, New Delhi.
Phone:919830082476
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