11 US students light up village in Pune

pune, JANUARY 1: With 6000 dollars and 70 solar-powered Light Emitting Devices (LEDs), 11 students from Colorado College, in Colorado Springs, USA are on their way to remote Domi, a Korku adivasi village approximately 950 km from Pune in Melghat.

Some of the students, who were in Pune on Monday, will leave for Domi on Tuesday along with volunteers of city-based NGO Maitri to Melghat. The rest will start on Friday.

Bruce Coriell, the chaplain and professor of religion at the college, said the money was collected from friends and well-wishers and used to buy the devices. Conceived by the college's office for community service under its programme for cultural exchanges and working on sustainable energy, the students will instal the solar-powered lights and show the villagers how to maintain the lights. They will stay with the villagers for about three weeks. Last year, students from the same college had installed solar lights for the Tibetan community in Arunachal Pradesh.

“When I first came to India 5 years ago on a trek to Nandadevi, I heard the word Bangalored. I was taken aback by the impact the US had on other countries. I wanted to contribute something that would have a far deeper and positive impact on India. Setting up these lights for the villagers is one of them,” said Dan Lustick.

Erika Jrcosus said it will also create awareness about other forms of energy in remote places where electricity hasn’t reached. “Other villages in the remote areas will take a cue from this,” she said, adding that the solar-powered lights will bring down heart ailments and breathing problems which smoke from fire triggers. “I am excited about going to this village to instal the lights. More that this, I am sure living with the families will give an insight to their lives and understands them better,” said Katelian O'Commodore, who is a soccer player and finds little time to spend in this manner.

The lights work on a combination of batteries, bulb and a solar panel, which cost Rs 2,600. Each of 63 families in the village has contributed to get the lights.

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