Bindeshwar Pathak
Bindeshwar Pathak (2 April 1943 – 15 August 2023) was an Indian sociologist and social entrepreneur who founded Sulabh International, a non-profit organization that promotes human rights, sanitation, and environmental sustainability. His work focused on improving sanitation in India by using innovative, affordable toilets connected to biogas plants, which also produce clean water and organic fertilizer. Sulabh has thousands of volunteers and operates in India and beyond.
Pathak was born in Hajipur, Bihar. He studied sociology at Banaras Hindu University and earned master’s degrees and a PhD from the University of Patna. In 1968 he began researching the lives of manual scavengers, and in 1970 he started Sulabh to address dehumanising sanitation practices. He also served as Brand Ambassador for India’s Swachh Rail Mission.
His work earned him many awards, including the Padma Bhushan (1991) and the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award (2017). He also received the Stockholm Water Prize (2009), the Global 500 Roll of Honour (2003), and the Nikkei Asia Prize (2018). In 2024, he was posthumously awarded the Padma Vibhushan. Pathak wrote books such as The Road to Freedom and spoke at many conferences on sanitation and social progress.
Pathak died in New Delhi on 15 August 2023 at the age of 80 from a cardiac arrest.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 08:41 (CET).