Meeting Aruna Roy was one of the best things to happen to me in a long time. I have heard about her for years from Ravi, and from Dunu, and from reading about her work in the press – but nothing prepared me for the real thing – the woman herself, so fiery and passionate she makes you believe in the possibility of a new world order.

We had asked her to deliver the annual talk in our Sir Ratan Tata Distinguished Lecture Series on Education and Inclusion, and she had said yes instantly – no standing on ceremony or acting too important for such a small-fry organisation as ours. Of course, I did have to pursue her somewhat relentlessly for a pucca date, but she had warned me of that in the beginning, and it only added to the fun and put us on easy humorous terms by the time she finally got here.

On the day of the lecture, she asked me to come and meet her to go over the plan and to get to know each other a little in advance. I’m so glad I did. I took Moy Moy along and that added a whole different level to our discussions. Moy “keeps it real,” by her nature, and it’s easy to see a person’s true self in the atmosphere that she evokes.

Aruna shone.

She has a gentle way of accepting people just as they are while simultaneously inspiring them to become whoever they could be. What amazed me about her was her engagement with life. Everything seems to interest her. She is vivid, radiant, and unbelievably PRESENT. She brings her heart and her soul and her mind to everything she encounters.

While we were together, we talked about her work in Devdhoongri village in Rajasthan, about my work in disability, about Moy Moy, about tribal activists in Chattisgarh, globalization, schools around the world and the rivers of Uttarakhand. On every subject, she was informed and inquisitive, analyzing, making connections and eager to learn more. It was inspiring and remarkable. It is rare to meet a person of such integrity – I mean that in the true sense of the word: she has an understanding so strong and clear that it works the same way no matter what it is she is looking at.

I also had the pleasure of meeting her famous husband – Bunker Roy. I had met him once 27 years ago – I was a shy, overwhelmed newly-arrived young thing and he was a famous activist even then. He was tall, angular and severe, dressed all in black and, it seemed to me, frosty and remote.

Nothing could be further from the truth (a good example of how we project our own insecurities and inadequacies on to others). Bunker is a charming and a courtly man – an old-fashioned word that seems to suit him. He has a dignity and a presence which seems inclusive and all-encompassing. He was so considerate of Moy Moy and her needs and genuinely curious about what I do. It was a treat to have my old image of him adjusted! And I got one fabulous idea from listening to him talk about what he does – one of his many programs involves training women to become solar engineers. Anyone can sign up, as long as they are grandmothers. He said they are the ones who are committed to their villages; they are the ones who will stay.