COIMBATORE: To brighten the lives of tribals of Pattisalai hamlet in Coimbatore’s Anaikatti Hills, a 65-year-old scientist has donated solar lamps to 31 houses.
Raman Soundararajan, who hails from Tiruvannamalai, sought funds from his friends and purchased 100 solar lamps, of which the remaining will be donated to the neighbouring tribal hamlet.
There are nearly 30 families in Pattisalai, whose livelihood is mostly based on cultivating forest produce and cattle farming.
Soundararajan, who has settled in Anaikatti, heads ‘Daya Seva Sadan’, an organisation that trains tribal women and helps them make products using forest produce. He has also set up an outlet to sell these products. Although many of the houses are connected to the power grid, there is poor visibility outside of homes due to the lack of streetlights. Since these hamlets are located deep in the forest reserve, nearly eight kilometres from Anaikatti, at the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, villagers face many difficulties at night. With Soundararajan donating streetlights, residents are a happy lot as they feel safer at night.
Devaiyani, a tribal woman from Pattisalai, said, “Although we have free power, it is available only inside our homes. We were in a situation where we feared leaving our homes even in case of emergencies due to the frequent movement of wild animals. During monsoon, the entire village plunges into darkness owing to power outages. We approached Soundararajan, stating that the provision of solar lamps or electric streetlights would make life convenient. He then helped by buying solar lights for all homes.
Now that our hamlet is well-lit, there is a sense of safety and security. Our children can sit and study inside and if there is any movement of animals, we will get to know them easily.”
Soundararajan said he took this initiative to provide a safe environment, which is one of the essential needs of the tribals. “Understanding the need of this hamlet through the people here, I asked my friends to help buy solar lights. Many of them were willing to help. What started as an effort to buy lights for 30 houses has now grown to 100 houses. Each solar lamp costs Rs2,500 and comes with a five-year warranty. The colour of the lights can be changed with a remote control.
The remaining solar lamps will be given to the neighbouring tribal hamlets. The children are jubilant as the streets and their homes are well-lit now. A total of 100 homes will shine within the next few days.”