Sailesh Kumar Bandopadhyay is a Gandhian from India and a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi, known for his steadfast adherence to gandhian principles, in words and deeds. The Government of India honored him in 2010, with the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award, for his services to the fields of medicine and public health. He was born on 10 March 1926 in Chakradharpur, Jharkhand, India. In 1944, Sailesh Kumar joined the trade union movement at Tatanagar, which was being led by known trade union activists such as Abdul Bari, Michael John and Moni Ghosh. Two years later, in 1946, he joined Indian National Congress. Soon, he rose up in ranks and in 1951, he became the Office Secretary of the District Congress Committee, with the responsibility of the Gandhian Village Reconstruction Centre, near Jamshedpur. In 1951, Sailesh Kumar joined the All India Spinner's Association, known locally as Charkha Sangh, Sevagram and worked there till 1961. During this time, he was also involved in the Bhoodan movement. In 1961, he selected as the Deputy Director of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission where he worked till 1984 when he retired from service as its Deputy Chief Executive Officer. Prior to his retirement, he also worked as the Administration Director of the Commission in Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal. He was also in charge of the Gandhi Centenary Celebration Committee as its Chief Executive in 1969.