A Village That Has Spent Decades in Darkness Can Be Lit up in Just a Few Days. With Your Help.

It’s been 68 years since independence. While many urban clusters in India are so lit up at night that they can be seen shining from space, large parts of the country are plunged in darkness. One such village that sits in deep shadows is Pimpaldhara. Here’s how you can help it emerge from the darkness.

It was almost dawn when we reached Pimpaldhara. The day had been really hot and the night did not bring much relief either. Soham Narwade, our representative from Shivprabha Charitable Trust, took us to a small hut where a baby, lying in a swing made out of a saree, kept crying. Her mother was cooking on a mud chulha. The wood fire in the chulha lit up one part of the hut. However, the baby’s side was still dark. We asked if we could take the baby out in the fresh air for a walk. But the answer was a clear “No” from both the parents. The reason was terrifying.

Pimpaldhara is situated next to a jungle and once the sun sets people are forced to stay indoors because of the fear of wild animals.

“As there is no electricity in our village, there is utter darkness after 7-7:30 pm. The wild animals take advantage of this and get inside the village so many times. So we have to be careful,” explained a villager.

While we speak of lofty plans for a Digital India and Smart Cities, here is a village that is still un-electrified even after 68 years of independence.

While we sit in air-conditioned rooms and work on our laptops, the villagers of Pimpaldhara work in the heat of scorching summers, fanning their children only with hand-held punkhas.

While we read articles such as this on our smart phones, there are villagers in Pimpaldhara who have to walk 3 kms just to charge their phones in order to talk to anyone.

While our kids are using tabs and smart learning applications, the children in Pimpaldhara are using kerosene lanterns to study during their exams.

While we use microwaves, induction cook-tops and smart roti-makers in our kitchens, the women in Pimpaldhara are still inhaling smoke from their mud chulhas.

While we are trying to revolutionize farming with pumps and borewells, the farmers in Pimpaldhara have to rely exclusively on rain water for their crops.

According to the Ministry of Power, India had 18,452 un-electrified villages in 2015, at least two-thirds of which are still in darkness at present.

While the government plans to get electricity to these villages in two years’ time, we can also help give some immediate relief to these villages.

The Shivprabha Charitable Trust, Pune, has recently distributed solar lamps to each house in Pimpaldhara. Life has been a little better since then for the villagers. It can become even better if we help them get solar operated street lights too, until the government reaches them with electricity. A contribution from you can help bring some light to the dark lives and homes of the villagers of Pimpaldhara.

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