Help Flutur support Liter of Light, Bangalore

In 2014, the World Bank pegged India as home to the world’s largest un-electrified population. While access to basic power requirements is taken for granted by many, for 240 million Indians it remains unaffordable, inadequate or simply non-existent. Although the government has set up various programs to achieve its 2019 target, a colossal number of Indian families including the most vulnerable, poor citizens of the country still have received little to no amelioration so far.

“For I can see in the midst of death, life persists, in the midst of untruth, truth persists, in the midst of darkness light persists.” --- Mahatma Gandhi

This quote by the Father of the Indian Nation perfectly describes the work that is being carried out by NGOs & citizens to help bring relief & joy to the darkest corners of India. The Bangalore chapter of the NGO, Liter of Light, is one such organisation that has made great strides in the past and continues to fight for this noble cause.

Liter of Light

Liter of Light is a global independent movement with the aim to provide a long-term source of light to the underprivileged that do not have access to electricity or are victims of its exorbitance. Their ideology resonates beautifully with the “Jugaad” or frugal innovation culture that India is known for.

Liter of Light uses a PET Bottle (Moser Bulb) with purified water and bleach. This bottle is installed onto the roof of a sheet house. The water inside the bottle refracts the sunlight during the daytime and provides as much light as a 55-watt light bulb! However, because this form of light requires the sun’s energy - it works only during the day.

Liter of Light in India

After a successful stint on the global stage resulting in over 200,000 illuminated homes with this simple but effective innovation, Pankaj Dixit and Tripti Agarwal co-founded Liter of Light in Bangalore in the year of 2013.

With numerous successful implementations, Liter of Light Bangalore has run nearly self-sustaining & independent projects in Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha etc. The passionate aura surrounding Pankaj and team has even galvanized students from colleges around India to run and maintain individual projects by themselves with just basic support provided by Liter of Light. The success of Liter of Light, Bangalore shows the difference that even the slightest ray of light in the darkest of places can make.

Real Life Stories of Neeraj, Bhairavi and Gurunathan

Neeraj, 11 years old, dreams to be a footballer one day. He practises all day but unfortunately has to end the practice along with the setting of the sun. By installing a night light in his football field, Liter of Light gave Neeraj a hope that his vision for the future might actually materialize.

Bhairavi, 9 years old, hails from Sirumalai, Tamil Nadu. She is a jewelry enthusiast and along with her sister likes to collect stones and make bracelets and necklaces for her family and friends. But she hardly gets an hour after school to pursue her hobby as it gets dark. It gives her great job to know that now she will be able to make many more jewelry pieces with the new night light in her house.

Gurunathan takes care of his daughter, Sashi, all by himself. He takes her with him to the fields. Sashi plays in the field while her father works all day. But as the sun sets , and the fields become dark, Sashi no longer can see her father, and this frightens her. Now with the night light, Gurunathan can continue to work and Sashi will no longer be frightened.

The Project

Liter of light, Bangalore, is installing innovative solar, eco-friendly bottle bulbs - maintaining the original idea of “reduce, reuse and recycle.” These solar powered bulbs provide illumination for remote areas even during the night which was a limitation in the earlier version of the contraption. Each of these solar powered lamps are made using sturdy PVC pipes, reused water bottles, and solar panels all of which can be fitted and used for various applications - such as street lights. As an estimate, each street light costs around Rs. 2500 - 3000. The villagers are even educated about the products to the extent that these installations become self sustaining.

Liter of Light’s upcoming projects are to be set up in the following locations -

Kikkeri Village in Mandya District, Karnataka (May 2018)
40 home lighting systems and 10 street lights - impacting about 200 lives.
Sirumalai Hills, near Dindigul, Tamilnadu (May 2018)
50 street lights - impacting about 300 lives.
Senapattinam, Tandrampattu Taluk, Tiruvanamalai, Tamilnadu (July 2018)
20 home lighting systems and 5 street lights.

Flutur & Liter of Light

Flutur aims to support Liter of Light’s projects by providing funds for projects that are planned to be implemented in remote regions around Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. This collaboration effort can illuminate the lives of countless rural families that had little to no access to such basic amenities whose existence we all fail to notice on a daily basis.

The Liter of Light project will be featured on the Flutur New Tab Chrome Extension periodically and also on all future tech products so that they can receive adequate funding, reach and global support that they require to make their noble vision come true!

Want to fund Liter of Light, Bangalore's campaign? You can raise funds without spending any money! Download the Flutur New Tab Chrome Extension and choose Liter of Light as your NGO for the month!

You can also show support by spreading the word! Do check out Liter of Light's work here and follow their various campaigns on their Facebook page. Let’s work towards a better tomorrow together :)