Rising electricity bill and falling price of LED made Rajith Pottammal venture into a mission of imparting training on LED lamp-making to the Kudumbashree workers. A television mechanic by profession, Rajith has already given training to members of around 40 Kudumbashree units in Kozhikode district.
He says, “Light Emitting Diodes are semiconductors that make old-fashioned incandescents(light bulbs) and even compact fluorescents incompetent. LED will use as little as 1W to produce the same amount of light produced by a CFL using 5W. The researches I conducted showed me that the life expectancy of LED is higher compared to CFL bulbs. “My happiness lies in spreading the message ‘save electricity’ through the training,” he said.
The success of the fourday training camp that he conducted in Kommeri for 30 women inspired him to go on with his mission. He is a visiting trainer in Thrissur, Ernakulam and Kollam districts. “During the classes, several ladies shared their anxiety over the process of making LED lamps. Gradually, they got accustomed to the activity. As far as I know, almost all the Kudumbashree units for which I have given training are doing a flourishing business,” he said. On the classes, he said, “in the four-day camp, the first day is purely on the basics. The second and third days are exclusively for marketing. The last and final day is set apart for production. I also give notes to the participants at the end of the class, so that they would not have any confusion in the future,” he said.
Jasna, A kudumbashree worker, is all praise for her trainer. “On the first day, I was worried because the instructor was using technical language. But he was patient enough to clear our doubts,” she said. An expert can make an LED emergency light within one hour. During the classes, a kit worth `350 is given to the trainees to make LED emergency lamps and LED lamps. At the end of the course, the trainee can take the lamp home and they will be paid an amount of `100 as service charge. We provide only quality raw material,” he said. Women in the age group of 15 to 65 have attended his training.
For the Kudumbashree workers in Feroke, Mannar, Vengeri, Parambil Bazar, Kakkodi, Govindapuram and Palazhi, Rajith is a man who scripted a chapter of success in their lives. The CFL bulbs will soon be replaced completely by the LED that can save more electricity. Rajith also claims that his shop ‘Tecnic’, opened in 1997, was the first mobile phone servicing centre in Kozhikode.