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Kailash Satyarthi Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 6, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth11 January 1954

Age71 Years

BirthplaceVidisha, Madhya Pradesh, India

ProfessionEngineer, Social Activist, Author

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseSumedha Kailash

FamilySon - Bhuwan Ribhu; Daughter - Asmita Satyarthi

Kailash Satyarthi Biography

Kailash Satyarthi is an Indian electrical engineer turned social activist and author who has spent decades campaigning for children's rights and against童童—

Early life and background
Kailash Satyarthi was born Kailash Sharma on 11 January 1954 in Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh. Raised in a middle-class family, he completed his schooling at the Government Boys Higher Secondary School in Vidisha and went on to study electrical engineering at Samrat Ashok Technological Institute (SATI), then affiliated with Bhopal University. He holds a BTech in electrical engineering and a post-graduate diploma in engineering; he also completed a diploma in Sanskrit at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.

From a young age Satyarthi became aware of economic and social disparities. While still a schoolboy he began organising efforts to help poorer children access books and education, setting up a book-collection drive that evolved into a local book bank. Those early projects foreshadowed a lifetime focused on defending children’s rights.

Career
After finishing his engineering studies Satyarthi worked briefly as a college professor in Madhya Pradesh but soon left academia to pursue social activism full time. Influenced by Gandhian principles of non-violence, he campaigned for underprivileged children in his hometown and beyond. In 1980 he founded Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), one of India’s earliest sustained initiatives to combat child labour and trafficking. Through BBA he led rescues of children working in mines, brick kilns and other hazardous industries, and he pushed for legal and policy change to protect children.

Satyarthi has been active across a range of public campaigns and organisations. He helped form the South Asian Coalition on Child Servitude (SACCS) in New Delhi in 1989 as a regional extension of BBA. He also started Sangharsh Jari Rahega, a magazine that spread awareness about social activism, and organised national-level discussions such as the Chaupal on Bonded Labour. His work extended to post-conflict responses as well: during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots he advocated for victims’ rehabilitation, sheltered affected families and used exhibitions and media to press for justice.

His activism produced concrete legal outcomes. Satyarthi played an important role in campaigning around the 1986 Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act and in winning compensation and rehabilitation for rescued child labourers, including a case in December 1985 where child workers in Uttar Pradesh secured government compensation.

Throughout his career he has developed and promoted policy ideas such as the ‘‘Triangular Paradigm,’’ which links child labour, illiteracy and poverty and is intended to guide global discussions on ending exploitation of children.

Public profile
Satyarthi married Sumedha Kailash on 8 October 1977; she is also active as a social activist. The couple have two children, a son Bhuwan Ribhu and a daughter Asmita Satyarthi, both described as engaged in social causes. His hometown is listed as New Delhi, and he is an Indian national.

Satyarthi’s long record of activism has been recognised with many honours from around the world. Among the awards and distinctions cited are the Aachen Peace Prize (1994), the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award (1995), the Wallenberg Medal from the University of Michigan (2002), the Freedom Award (2006), and the Nobel Peace Prize, which he shared in 2014. He has received numerous honorary doctorates and national and international humanitarian awards across the 2010s and into the early 2020s, and he appears on lists compiled by governments and organisations that have recognised leaders in the fight against modern slavery and child exploitation.

Satyarthi has also faced challenges and controversy. In 1997 trustees of a charitable trust filed allegations in court relating to financial management; Satyarthi and his wife contested those accusations and pursued legal remedies. Reports indicate that financial records the trust referenced were later found to be missing.

Style and personal notes
Public descriptions note Satyarthi’s height as approximately 180 cm (about 5 feet 11 inches) and his hair as salt-and-pepper with dark brown eyes. He follows a vegetarian diet. Born into a Brahmin family, he later changed his surname from Sharma to Satyarthi in response to social ostracism he experienced while in college for actions aimed at social equality.

Latest updates
Across decades of work he expanded grassroots rescue and rehabilitation work into regional and international campaigns, and he remained a visible advocate for children’s rights. His list of awards and honorary degrees continued to grow through the 2010s and into the 2020s, reflecting sustained global recognition for his campaigns against child labour and exploitation.
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Recent Work

Bachpan Bachao Andolan (founder)

Founded in 1980 to rescue children from labour and trafficking and to campaign for their rights and rehabilitation.

1980
South Asian Coalition on Child Servitude (founder)

Established in 1989 in New Delhi as a regional arm of BBA to coordinate efforts against child servitude.

1989
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Career Highlights

  1. Founded Bachpan Bachao Andolan in 1980 to fight child labour and trafficking
  2. Instrumental in campaigns leading to the 1986 Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act
  3. Shared the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize for his work drawing attention to exploitation of children
  4. Established the South Asian Coalition on Child Servitude in 1989
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Kailash Satyarthi born?

11 January 1954

What is Kailash Satyarthi known for?

Engineer, Social Activist, Author

What is Kailash Satyarthi’s marital status?

Married

Who is Kailash Satyarthi married to?

Sumedha Kailash