Your project has a unique name. What does Belaku mean?
Belaku is a Kannada word which means light. Through our project, we hope to brighten
people's lives - be it by electrifying their homes, or by offering health and education
programs. Our project is therefore, aptly named Project Belaku.
How many of you have been part of this project? How do you manage your careers and work
for this social cause?
Our team basically includes four us - Sunny Arokia Swamy B, Balachandra M Hegde, Kotresh
Veerapur and Kumaraswami H. We all are engineers and have graduated in 2015. All of us are
working with some of the leading companies in India. Managing our careers and our social
work at the same time is surely a challenge. For this, we plan our activities primarily on
weekends.
Can you please describe all the work done by you as part of this project?
Once we decided to go ahead, we started by surveying several villages and shortlisted two of
them for our project. We then designed a prototype and started testing it. Once we were
ready with the design, we started replicating it. The final stage involved installation of
solar panels, tube lights and bulbs in 18 houses across 2 villages.
How much time did it take to plan and execute your project from start to end?
We all came up with the basic idea of Project Belaku in our 3rd year of engineering and were
really keen to implement it. After completing our engineering, we came across an article
that stated that there are several villages in Karnataka which do not have electricity. This
inspired us to start planning our dream project. We went and surveyed a few villages on 6th
& 7th of February 2016. After shortlisting 2 villages, we went and met the HOD of our
college. We were keen to complete before monsoon, so we finished the entire project by first
week of April. The overall planning to execution process for this project took us about 4
months.
How did you gather funds for your project? Did your college or any NGOs support
you?
The project was completely funded by our college M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology,
Bangalore. We have also put in some personal funds in the initial stages of the project.
How many homes did you manage to light with your project?
In total, we covered 18 houses in 2 villages, 10 in Ghatkunang and 8 in Khangaon. We have
provided one tube light, 3 bulbs and one mobile charger for each of these houses.
Please share some unforgettable events that took place during the project.
The project has involved a lot of hard work on part of the entire team. Since we were
running against time, we worked practically day and night. During day time, we worked in
scorching heat and completed mounting of the solar panels on roof tops. When work extended
to late nights, we had no option but to work in pitch darkness with help of some torch
lights.
The entire experience was seriously worth it. The satisfaction we got by watching smiles on
people's faces once the work was completed is surely unmatched. And the hospitality shown by
the villagers to the team was simply amazing. They served us traditional home cooked meals
and beverages while we worked. We are truly feeling blessed.
What was the villagers' reaction once the project was completed? How has the project
changed their lives?
The villagers' reactions was simply amazing and unforgettable. We put solar panels in the
villages on the auspicious day of Ugadi. The villagers who had never seen electric lights in
their home, thought the glowing lights were a gift from gods themselves. They were so
excited that they performed a pooja of the new solar panel and joined hands in the form of
namaskars to the glowing light bulbs.
The villages are surrounded by thick forests which are home to several wild animals like the
bears. Earlier, without any lights, the villagers would be confined to their homes by
nightfall for fear of personal safety. Today, these homes have bulbs at their entrance which
helps to keep animals away in some way.
Project Belaku has covered 2 villages till date. Do you plan to cover many
more?
The first phase of Project Belaku has given us immense satisfaction. It was simply amazing
to see joy on people's faces after the project was completed. This is what inspires us to do
more. We feel that many more people are still waiting for our support. So, we are planning a
hydro power project in the next phase. We are currently surveying 4-5 villages and plan to
start work post June 10 this year.
If yes, do you wish to call for more volunteers to come forward?
Yes, volunteers are always welcome to join us. As a matter of fact, we would want local
volunteers to come and give us technical inputs or help us with the installations. With the
nature of work that we are doing, we also invite people to provide financial support,
recommend villages that can be covered under our project, or simply help us to fetch more
hands to do the technical work in villages.
You have achieved something the government could not in last 69 years. What are your
comments?
Indian government has been doing so much on a big scale. We believe that even citizens need
to contribute in some way to make India a better place. So here we are, doing our share.