The Personal Is Political: An Activist's Memoir

by Aruna Roy

'Aruna Roy reflects on [a] life of deep engagement, weaving the personal and [the] political. A great inspiration.' - Amartya Sen & Jean Dreze

'A brilliant and riveting feminist manifesta for social change.' - V (Formerly Eve Ensler)

'There are many who speak, but very few who act. This book is a testimonial to the fact that change comes only with action and reinforces the proverb "Actions are the best words spoken".' - Perumal Murugan

Magsaysay Award-winning social activist Aruna Roy's remarkably forthright memoir is the story of two parallel journeys---a fifty-year-long engagement with public action in India, and a personal narrative that traces how the author has striven to convert her ideological convictions into practice.

For long decades, Aruna Roy has lived with and worked for the benefit of marginalized communities in rural India, fighting for the right to survive in a hostile environment. Alongside accounts of the plight of the vulnerable and the transformative power of mass-based grassroot social movements, her recollections are marked with stories of resilient individuals and communities and their extraordinary resistance to oppression.

Roy recounts a powerful lesson learnt from her extraordinary that every issue, whether it is poverty, discrimination, inequality or corruption, has personal as well as political ramifications. It is only by connecting the personal and the political, Roy says, that each one of us can make a difference.

Genres: Nonfiction, India, Memoir, Indian Literature, Politics

360 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 29, 2024

About the author

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aruna_Roy

Reviews

[Shreela Sen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disaster of a book.
Imminently Important theme, potentially awe-inspiring stories, & such drab & flat execution.
Harper Collins has done a great disservice to the Author-Activist.
The book reads - alternatingly - a discourse - & - an official "incident report".
..... So disappointing!!!!!!
In the lecturing-expounding parts, Roy uses big words which make some people (I read it as a part of a book club) feel it (& her) to be haughty & verbose... & in the "panchnaamaa" part, she strangles & kills her own story(ies)!!
What a roadkill, what a train wreck of an opportunity!
WHAT was the editorial team DOING? Being too awed by the persona & charisma of the activist to correct, guide & polish her writing?
Spare yourself the frustration - AND educate yourself - find videos of spoken speeches of Aruna Roy.
Anyway, regarding current book...
First, there is a heinous, hideous foreword by Gopalkrishna Gandhi which is about people whose names start with A. What? It's inane, & already puts you in a confused state of mind & sour mood ... Why couldn't Jean Dreze Foreword it? Or the MKSS colleagues who have written the "Last Word"?
The book starts jitterily with Roy's scattered style, but finds a pace & footing in the 4th chapter, "Our "Development" ... at Their Cost". Thereafter, it is quite decent till the 10th chapter, as you, as a reader, adjust to her communication style.
Chapters 11 to 15 are neither here nor there. I do understand that the author will write what she wants to express. But I was disappointed.
The story of the birth of the RTI bill is just not there. The story of MKSS is here, in fragmented & adrift ... very dissatisfying. You keep hoping that the full story will emerge - a "true story" of underdogs' successful struggle, but ... it never lands.
Instead the Chapters 11 to 15 deal with the state of the Indian polity past 2014 (which has been regularly & deftly (who can comment, whether effectively or not?) been brought to the fore by talented cartoonists & stand-up comedians), AND, are conceptually repetitive of the Chapters 1-10, AND, were a drag to read.
It is really unfortunate that I, someone who is ideologically close to what the author represents, did not derive much education OR enjoyment from the book. I wonder how it aspires to enlighten the people who hold the other POV, of that they are NOT privileged but RIGHTFULLY fortunate?

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aruna Roy has always been someone I looked up to- a woman born in privilege, who resigned from the IAS to move to a village and work on development from the grassroots. Though the book is subtitled "An Activist's Memoir", it is less the memoir of Aruna Roy the person and more the musings of Aruna Roy the activist. The bulk of the book contains her reflections on activism, power structures and fighting injustice. She describes the genesis, growth and current relevance of MKSS, the organization she gave many decades of her life to. She gives an insider perspective of how the general proclamations made in the Constitution started taking concrete shape through some of the rights based legislation of the 1990s and 2000s. And she laments the current situation where voices that speak up are being systematically silenced.
What I really loved about the book was the deep self awareness about the intersecctionalities of privilege that she displays throughout the book. Two incidents stand out- the first when after resigning from the IAS she tries to meet with a woman who promptly rebukes her- that made her realise how it was the IAS that which got her entry into people's homes earlier. The other was several years later when an official saw her crumpled saree and spoke down to her- she immediately switched to English and restored the power balance. Though anyone who has worked in the development sector will have had such experiences, few describes them with the candor and context that she does.
The reflections on who is an activist, and why we need activists are passages that I have bookmarked and will keep going back to.
Overall, an excellent book for anyone who wants to better understand some of the challenges that we face as a nation, where we are today and what the future holds for us. Above all, it is a book that doesn't loosen it's grip on hope-

People wonder how we sustain hope. Cynicism is often an excuse for inaction and comfort. If a poor woman with all the odds stacked against her can hope, on what grounds of logic do I place my middle-class despair? Being hopeless is an indulgence the poor can ill-afford.

[Ingrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part memoir, part political philosophy, part guide, part lament, this book defies easy characterisation. It is dense with information, insights and the wisdom of lived experience, demanding focus on the part of the reader. The effort is well worth the rewards providing a front-row seat to the building of national scale movements which have empowered hundreds of millions across India and inspired thousands of activists and citizens to contribute to the realisation of the vision of India’s progressive Constitution. Altogether too many books about the social sector focus inordinately on the leaders of organisations and their own journeys. This one, like Aruna’s life and work, centres the citizens we so often call ‘ordinary’ and embodies the message that all change starts within oneself.

[Tulika Jain · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this book at Jaipur Lit Fest 2025 after I heard Aruna Roy give a talk on how politics is intertwined with our personal life. “The personal is political”- every choice we make is a political one, and we, as citizens of the world, need to recognise this, and exercise it. I am often crippled by the inequality, injustice, and dismantling of democratic principles that we are witnessing on a global scale right now. I struggle to make sense of how my personal choices and decisions can make things right. Aruna’s words therefore galvanised me. Her extraordinary past and achievements, her history of putting her actions where her mouth is- all of it inspired me.

Unfortunately, this book didn’t. The book does not contain a coherent narrative, and contains rambling points that are repetitive, hard to follow and sometimes, very obvious. I gained very little in terms of new knowledge or inspiration by reading this book. I wish at least some of it contained stories about her choices, her experiences working at the grassroots level in Rajasthan, or the struggles and triumphs she faced while campaigning for RTI, NREGA and the many other keystones of our modern democracy. She has such a treasure trove of knowledge and experiences to share, but this memoir fell woefully short.

[Satwik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I typically avoid reading memoirs by civil servants, as they're often filled with self-praise and heroism. However, this book stands out as it's neither a tale of a flamboyant bureaucrat nor a story of a struggling female activist in a male-dominated world. Instead, it offers a fresh perspective for urban residents to understand rural India better. The book sheds light on the deep-seated class, caste, and gender biases that have marginalized rural communities. It emphasizes the importance of ordinary people standing up, organizing, and raising their voices to be heard. The author also highlights the decline of democratic institutions in India over the years. Additionally, the book includes a thoughtful reflection on her personal journey. One suggestion for improvement would be to condense the narrative.

[Swapna Peri ( Book Reviews Cafe ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Aruna Roy’s memoir, “The Personal is Political – An Activist’s Memoir,” was an enlightening and deeply moving experience. As someone who has always admired the tireless efforts of social activists, I found Roy’s account both inspiring and humbling.

From the very first page, I was drawn into Roy’s world. Her journey from joining the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in 1968 to resigning in 1975 to work for the rural poor is nothing short of extraordinary. Roy’s decision to leave a stable career in the civil service to join her husband at the Barefoot College Social Work and Research Centre in Tilonia, Rajasthan, speaks volumes about her commitment to social justice.

One of the most compelling aspects of the memoir is Roy’s involvement in founding the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) along with Shankar Singh and Nikhil Dey. The MKSS’s efforts in advocating for transparency, accountability, and the Right to Information (RTI) Act have had a profound impact on Indian society. Roy’s narrative is filled with stories of resilience and the transformative power of grassroots movements, making it clear that real change comes from the ground up.

Roy’s writing is candid and reflective, offering a window into the personal challenges and triumphs she faced along the way. Her ability to connect the personal with the political is particularly striking. She reminds us that issues like poverty, discrimination, and inequality are not just abstract concepts but have real, personal ramifications. This perspective is both powerful and necessary, urging readers to see the humanity behind the statistics.

The memoir is also a call for empathy. Roy’s vivid descriptions of the lives of the poor and marginalized communities she worked with are both heart-wrenching and eye-opening. She paints a poignant picture of the struggles faced by those who build our homes, clean our toilets, and yet live in the most precarious conditions. Her words are a stark reminder of the inequalities that persist in our society and the urgent need for action.

What I found most inspiring about Roy’s memoir is her unwavering belief in the power of collective action. Her stories of the MKSS’s campaigns and the eventual success of the RTI Act are a testament to what can be achieved when people come together for a common cause. Roy’s life is a powerful lesson in the importance of staying true to one’s convictions and the impact of sustained, dedicated activism.

In conclusion, “The Personal is Political – An Activist’s Memoir” is a must-read for anyone interested in social justice, activism, and the power of grassroots movements. Aruna Roy’s life and work are a beacon of hope and a call to action for all of us. This memoir is not just a recounting of past achievements but a guide for future generations on how to fight for a more just and equitable world.

[Prashanth Nuggehalli Srinivas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book that I enjoyed reading thoroughly. Aruna Roy reflects with depth into her experience of walking into a life of activism through a deeply personal lens. And she finds the foundations of her wider political choices within individual experiences of discomfort with herself, but also with the wider social environment in which she finds herself in. It's a very beautiful account woven through multiple early experiences of hers as a civil servant in Rajasthan, where she has to often confront her own privileged upbringing and the expression of liberties that she has experienced at an individual level with situations where people are entangled within social structures, which continuously limits them from experiencing the freedoms that they otherwise ought to experience. One of the first few chapters is titled "The Personal is Political" and it is a kind of a foundational chapter for what follows. "Being a witness to one's own internal thoughts is a powerful instrument of reflection that she uses." She says in Chapter 2, "Very often as I stand to address people, I am both the speaker and the one who listens. This witness offers a constant critique." This is a powerful lesson for everyone who engages either as an activist or merely as an intellectual exercise of seeking social change and social transformation. There is of course an overwhelming and powerful lens of womanhood and gender, but it intersects beautifully with other aspects of inequalities like caste and class. Several anecdotal occurrences of the struggles that she has been involved in including the Right to Information Act struggles and the Employment Guarantee and NREGA. Towards the later chapters is sections which offer an insight into social movements and participatory processes. A powerful lesson for NGOs and civil society where she asserts on page 266 that “institutions have to be seen as instruments for justice, not as citadels of power which when occupied become fortresses to defect.”

[Parvathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aruna Roy is, in many ways a legend. Her work in rural Rajasthan and her organization's role in the campaigns around the Right to Information, the Right to Work and the Right to Food led to landmark legislation - the RTI Act, MGNREGA, NFSA. Hers is an amazing, and hugely inspirational story - an IAS officer who left behind a life of privilege to start over in rural India hoping to make a difference. Her memoir would have to be special!
This one though, is less a memoir than a personal manifesto. There are some amazing stories of her experiences in here, she gives us a peek into the motivations that led her to do what she does and she writes of the hard realities of the activist life. But the bulk of the book is a set of reflections on what is right and wrong, personally and for society at large, and the intersections of that moral compass - between what is personal and what is political.
The writing is modest and unobtrusive, and I never got the hang of how Roy has structured the book - the chapters seem to flow into each other with little demarcation. But at every other page, I would stop to underline a passage because the thought would be so striking, so distinctive, so thought-provoking.
This is a great read for anyone remotely interested in what it means to be poor and underprivileged in India (and who in their right minds wouldn't be?). It is also a must read for the section who accuse activists of being libtards or urban naxals or anti-national or atankwadis. It's a book that cements the argument for the need for activism in a country like ours.
Highly recommend.

[Pranjal Awasthi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aruna Roy’s The Personal is Political is a powerful, erudite, and deeply unsettling exploration of India’s invisible millions. This is not a memoir in the conventional sense—it’s a pointed political text woven with lived experience, offering an unfiltered look at the rural India that remains unseen and unheard in mainstream discourse.

The book is as much a journey through villages and grassroots movements as it is a sweeping critique of the Indian state's deep structural failures. Roy’s commentary slices through state apathy, capitalist indifference, academic elitism, and the urban-rural disconnect with surgical precision. Her voice is sharp, honest, and unrelenting—forcing the reader to confront how far removed we might be from real issues while we remain comfortably nestled in corporate or bureaucratic bubbles. Her voice and reasoning is peppered with references from music, philosophy, feminist theory, Indian history, and poetry showing her calibre as a thinker of the highest mettle.

The book shows strong are the links between personal and political. The day-to-day lived experiences of Indians with the massive inertia of the British Raj–era state machinery still in place. It’s as eye-opening as it is uncomfortable, and that’s exactly why it matters.

The Personal is Political doesn’t just inform—it indicts (and rouses). It demands reflection, and possibly, redirection. A must-read for anyone who is curious about how India’s democracy can be deepened and made more participatory not only legally but also procedurally

[Soumya Jagatdeb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A memoir yes, but also a commentary on the current challenges politics in India faces, it is simply written and deeply engaging in parts. Aruna Roy, a former IAS and co-founder of MKSS as well as one of the faces behind the RTI movement, weighs in on her life working at the grassroot level, the concepts of deliberative democracy, participatory policies and more.
I found myself sitting with many parts, highlighting them so I could remember and return to them. The sequence of narration could have been more clear and certain parts felt repetitive. Nevertheless, an important read for the privileged, always wondering how to understand, critique and engage meaningfully with the idea of democracy and change in India.

[Arun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a disappointment. Being an admirer of Aruna Roy, l was so looking forward to this. But it's poorly structured and even more poorly edited. The narrative is incoherent, switching across topics without a sense of connection. Even within the same chapter, two consecutive paragraphs don't jell together. l was hoping to learn a lot more from this book, but just laboured through it to finish it.

Would have rated it a 2* if not for what Aruna Roy has accomplished and for the person she is. l hope she writes a better book some day.

[Sruti · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish she had concentrated on subjective experiences and added reflections as an addition. It does not make sense for people who don't believe in the subjective (and only in the collective) to write a memoir.

Although the work of Aruna Roy, MKSS and Barefoot College are genuine, these Gandhian "small is beautiful" worldview is not sufficient. Instead these funded NGOs have aided dis-organising the masses against larger struggles.

[Sudipt Roy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a superficially written book. Doesn't do justice to Roy's extraordinary life. Nor does it help us better understand some of the milestones in her career - RTI, for example. Time is not well invested for someone who has some familiarity with challenges of Indian society.

[Anmol Banerjee · Rating 3 out of 5]

it feels more like a book of sociological essays than a memoir. her life story doesn't follow any timeline and is explained extensively with theories

[Achal Khaneja · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tough tough read. Tough concepts made almost incomprehensible by tough language.

Losing both the woods & trees .

[Prakash Holla · Rating 4 out of 5]

What any democratic country needs is persons like her..as the name indicates her personal is political..she narrates in brief her efforts in trying to bring equilibrium in the social fabric..I feel she could have been more elaborate in explaining the details of the efforts..