Two friends set off on a spontaneous journey to a village in Arunachal Pradesh and came up with a revolutionary idea that resulted in several homes receiving their first spark of electricity. Merwyn Coutinho and Rajiv Rathod devised a project that brought light to about 273 villages in remote areas of the North East.
A spark of ideas
“During our trip to the North East, we happened to visit one of the remotest villages of India,” recalls Rajiv. “It took us seven days to just reach the place! We were on a journey to meet people who walk seven days one way for salt and sugar. The rest of their resources are managed in the village itself. Those who met us were excited. They eventually invited us to join them for a big Christmas event the following year.”
So, Merwyn and Rajiv headed back to the village. They discussed ideas on what to gift them. The simple gesture of taking solar light bulbs to distribute as Christmas gifts made them realise how important light was for them. “When we left the village a few weeks later, the village headmen from various regions started approaching us asking for light,” says Rajiv.
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Soon, Merwyn and Rajiv posted on their Facebook page requesting for funds to light homes in Arunachal Pradesh. They received enough to light up 25 houses. Thanks to the Batti Project, most homes have solar panels giving the village a chance at a sustainable, clean energy source with zero to negative impact on the ecosystem. The team started two campaigns — Ride to Light and Waste to Light —which essentially helps fund the Batti Project. Ride to Light is a charity fund raiser and a cycling tour that helps fund and light up remote homes and villages in a sustainable fashion. Waste to Light is an e-waste collection campaign, started in Bengaluru where products are either collected to up-cycle or recycle. The proceeds collected from this campaign is channelled into the Batti Project.
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Being inspired
The team’s inspiration has been travel and exploration through and through. “We believe in movement, constant change, and sustainable ecosystems. Any idea which makes these things happen for us becomes an inspiration and it becomes something we pursue,” explains Rajiv.
Merwyn and Rajiv started Further & Beyond Foundation and between them look after all the different arms of the enterprise. Merwyn almost lives in his Toyota Landcruiser and is constantly travelling. “Majority of his time is spent in the North East. A lot of on-ground work is driven by him. I take care of the overall operations in Bengaluru, though I too travel to Arunachal Pradesh multiple times each year,” adds Rajiv.
Why Northeast India?
“There is no particular reason for this. We happened to be travelling there, people asked us to help them out and we did just that. It so happened that it is one of the most ignored regions in India.” All their initiatives are community led so Team Batti responds to local needs and help make more sustainable choices for the village. Villages so far have been responsive to the team. “They approached us for helping them in basic lighting. So obviously the participation is huge. In fact, every project we take up we make sure it is an initial push from the locals in the region. Without considering the locals and their participation, nothing is possible.”
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There are many ways to be a part of The Batti Project. One of the best ways to collaborate would be to help them secure funds from appropriate CSR initiatives, grants, and similar institutional sources. You can also join in as a rider, raise awareness about, or support the Ride To Light bicycling charity challenge, which supports Batti and takes place in Arunachal every January. Individuals in Bengaluru can also help us gather e-waste under the Waste To Light project; funds generated from this too supports Batti. “In general, we look for volunteers and help raise awareness, gather funds, create collaterals, do workshops, for on-ground work, and to hatch interesting ways of supporting communities, ourselves, and our work together,” explains Rajiv. In the future, Team Batti plans to facilitate solar light in all Northeast states. “We already have a list of 150 villages that need to be lit up. The villages are spread in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Assam. We wish to make The Batti Project a platform from which people could learn and implement similar projects in other parts of the world.”
