His aunts are Ruma Pal a former Supreme Court judge, Arundhati Ghose, former diplomat and India's permanent representative to the United Nations during the 1990s,[4] and the journalist Usha Rai.

"[13] After his post graduation with very good grades from IRMA, in 1982, he chose to work in a small rural development trust, Tribhuvandas Foundation, in Anand, Kheda district, over much more visible and better paying jobs with Government sponsored milk cooperative federations.

In Tribhuvandas Foundation, he catalysed its growth from a small family run trust, to working in hundred odd villages, hiring professional rural medical doctors, and extension staff.

After establishing URMUL Rural Health and Development Trust as a mainstream NGO in Rajasthan, he handed over the organisation to a successor, and shifted to Delhi.

[15] The Indian Express, a leading national daily, used his writings to launch a successful monthly column named 'Village Voice'.

Recognizing the potential of writing in mainstream media to highlight rural development issues and catalyse change, Sanjoy conceived of CHARKHA.

CHARKHA appears to have been initiated to exploit the legitimate opportunities available in the national media for influencing policies related to rural development.

His discussions with senior media persons from the national dailies seemed to suggest that an organisation dedicated to development communication could work.

CHARKHA in a sense was an attempt to "institutionalize" the success of the "Village voice" experience — and broaden the scope to bring in more writing talent and different geographies.

[18] After launching CHARKHA, he decided to work in the insurgent prone Upper Assam, specifically in Majuli island on the Brahmaputra.

"[19] Through the sponsorship of Association of Voluntary Agencies for Rurul Development, North East (AVARD-NE) Sanjoy and seven colleagues set up base in Majuli island on the Brahmaputra river in April 1996.

[20] Sanjoy, in this short time, had also diversified the social activities in Majuli: around health (Malaria prevention), livelihoods (design, and manufacturing of bamboo and woven products), and education (village libraries).

It appears that by doing so, Sanjoy and his group had displeased a powerful local Government works contractor lobby: which also provided patronage to the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA).

When posters were put up by presumably this contractor lobby, which would have lost its annual lucrative contracts for "flood protection": many locals participated in a public meeting on 1 June 1997, to express solidarity with the constructive work done.

The killing,... was carried out by local cadre even before the top leadership could convey to them the message not to harm him to avoid possible international repercussions.

[28][29] Arabinda Rajkhowa, the Chairman of ULFA, publicly apologised at Majuli for the killing of Sanjoy Ghose, as per news reports of June 2011.

By 1995, URMUL expanded into a network of organisations addressing the concerns of the poor in the districts of Bikaner, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer in western Rajasthan.

[34] The Trust announced plans to launch an audio-video project on school documentation in Majuli on Ghose's 15th memorial day on 4 July 2011:in a bid to carry on the social worker's legacy.

[43] In 2016 and 2017, students of the Institute of Rural Management Anand, have celebrated his birthday, (7 December) as "Joy Day': by organising a blood donation drive, and hosting a function to remember him in their campus.

This has been awarded since 2003 in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, to encourage writers, particularly women, to generate research based writings that reflect their unique perspective on the concerns of their people in a region that has known conflicts for several decades now.