IAS Diaries Part 28 - Project Light

I still remember when I was posted in Dadenggre as SDO(Civil), one of the solar street lights on the outskirts of the division area was stolen. We took immediate cognizance of the case and ensured that the police machinery puts in extra effort to nab the culprits. That was followed by several rounds of meetings with locals at all the places where such lights were installed with the objective to sensitize them to protect such public assets and that they were installed at the first place for the benefit of everyone and that each one of them was responsible for the proper upkeep. After all that, till the time I left, there was no other such case of theft.

When I came to Williamnagar for the first time, I was elated to see that there were already so many solar street lights spanning across the entire town area. But that joy was only ephemeral as I got the reality check pretty soon. Most of the batteries from the poles of these solar street lights were stolen, in some cases they had also stolen the solar panel and in some case, the light was broken or shattered to pieces. All in all, mostly all of the 200 lights were dysfunctional because of these reasons. Always a disheartening sight to see public property being ripped apart by the public themselves.

Solar Street light are great asset for any locality. They are not very expensive. are now easily available and the installation is also very simplistic. Of course the greatest advantage being that there is no recurring cost as of a electricity bill or the question that who will bear that cost. The earlier models came with these big separate batteries which required maintenance and which were placed in a separate box on the pole which was prone to theft. The distilled water in these batteries needed to be replaced at least once a year to ensure proper functioning. But with the advancement in technology, now these Sleek lights are available with inbuilt lithium battery and all you need to do is connect it to a solar panel on the pole. The possibility of theft also comes down as their is no stand alone battery which could fetch some money in the open market.

So now the question came, how can we revive these lights? In all the cases, the pole was intact, the panels were there in 99% cases, the light was there in 80% cases but the battery was gone in almost all cases. So we decided to go with these new lights with inbuilt battery. Meanwhile, under our Project STAR(Click here for details), we are encouraging people to adopt govt schools so that they can be repaired and renovated, on similar lines, I pondered, if we could have a Project Light, wherein the locals can come together to adopt a street light. And we did start exactly that. With the help of few generous people who are resourceful, we repaired about 30 lights to start with and due awareness was spread to all localities.

We also requested all the govt offices to join this campaign. If they could adopt the solar street lights in front of their respective offices, it would also benefit the people moving across that road. The Forest department was the first to respond to our call followed by the Williamnagar Civil Hospital. Several other individuals also came forward and adopted one light each. I am also grateful to my mother who adopted two lights and paid for their repair from her pension.

Meanwhile we have already proposed to the government for the repair of the remaining lights, this ongoing campaign of Project Light has at least been able to brighten up some crucial locations in the town in terms of safety of people. Moreover, the campaign has also helped to inculcate a sense of ownership in the community with regards to public property. It has been also instrumental to promote the use of renewable energy sources like Solar Energy. Hoping to light up some more areas with the generosity of the masses.

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Nothing more

The sky was shinny blue this evening. The clouds were few and scattered. They had a crimson lining, the leftovers of solar love perhaps. The birds were merrily drifting towards home. The moon was lurking behind the dark ones awaiting the dusk.

As the goalkeeper kicked the ball over us high in that gorgeous sky, I felt contented. That will do, I seemed to be telling myself. A game of football amidst beautiful nature and lovely people. That will do, I would want, nothing more.

The Rural Supermen

Thirsty, exhausted and yet cheerful, we had almost reached Mandalgre when this young semi-clad boy overtook us. He was carrying these empty tin cans filled with vegetables he had purchased in Chinabat which was about 10 km from this place. Apparently he had started from here early morning carrying two such cans of 15 liters each filled with milk from his dairy. 

Everyday they carry these canes in the morning trekking for more than 20 kms. Everyday they walk similar distances for school. Everyday they sweat it out in the farm for long hours. And yet when we told him of our thirst, he pounced to fetch us water. And yet, in the evening, he joined us in the football field, with double our energy. More power, to these, rural supermen. 

Accidental Art

It had rained all day. The gushing symphony of the river water was on the rise. The cold night breeze made us shiver in the summer. And ergo, sitting by the fire place in the kitchen, was comforting. On the shelf, there were pots which the women use to carry water. These pots had several dents all over juxtaposed in sync making it look like an art piece.

Driven by curiosity, I had to dig deep. Turns out, these dents were the relics of the days when they had, on several occasion, slipped or fallen while fetching water from the spring chamber. At times, the children had to carry the pots, and they fell too. Mostly the dents surfaced during the monsoon. Accidental art, showcasing hardships. Sigh.