Lighting Lives with Solar In Sundarban

Christmas 2009 couldn’t have been spent in a better way for Mukti India volunteers and members as they successfully implemented another solar project in the interiors of Sundarban. On the auspicious day Mukti India, with full support and help from Mukti for Social Development, USA and One Million Lights, USA, distributed 40 solar lamps among talented but needy students and some underprivileged villagers of Dakshin Kankandighi, Sunderban.

The event saw the start of the partnership of Mukti for Social Development and OneMillionLights. While Mukti India maybe a familiar name in the Sunderban area, it was the first project for Mukti for Social Development and OneMillionLights in the area.
Mukti for Social Development is a California USA based NGO focused on fostering self-reliant and thriving communities among low-income and under-privileged and on creating nurturing environment where every individual in the society can reach their full potential. OneMilllionLights is a USA based NGO trying to reach out with their solar projects to people in parts of the world where there is no electricity. The partnership of Mukti for Social Development and OneMillionLights helped in acquiring the lights in a very timely fashion. Mukti for Social Development arranged for the funds to purchase the lights and OneMIllionLights matched three-fold for the initial lot to make the project a huge success. With efforts like this the partnership is bound to go a long way.

The lamps were distributed by Mr Himan Mukerje, representative of Mukti For Social Development and One Million Lights, Ms Koel Ghorai, Chief Coordinator, Solar project, Mukti India and Mr Debabrata Haldar, Mukti India. Mr Andrew Rohan Prashant, an MBA student of Army Institute of Management, Kolkata supported this endeavor with his presence and contributed in his own way by giving Mukti some very valuable memories of this occasion in the form of pictures and videos. The event was organized by Mr Judhistry Halder, Coordinator, Coaching Centre Project, and other members of Mukti India.
The distribution ceremony also involved imparting knowledge about the efficient handling of the new lanterns and a small motivating speech by Ms Koel Ghorai for using solar lanterns instead of kerosene. She explained how the villagers and students can easily switch over to solar lamps and reduce or stop kerosene use at the same cost or lesser cost and creating awareness about solar entrepreneurs in Sundarban. This was supported by good response from the audience and many queries as well. This small awareness might be able to give way to more sustainable solar projects in that area.

Mukti for Social Development and Mukti India has already started working on plans to implement more such solar projects and help bring lights to the lives of the underprivileged and hard working families and talented students of Sundarban.

Mukti India look forward to continuing support and wishes from well wishers around the world for making the project a success.

Details of Mukti India:

Organization	Mukti India
Registration	IV-104/2005 under Indian trust act 1964 at Baruipur, 24 Pargs South, WB, India
Address	Purba Shridharpur, Raidighi, 24 Pargs South, WB, India. Pin 743383
Email	info@muktiweb.org
Website	www.muktiweb.org
Phone	+91-9733981715
Contact	Koel Ghorai, coordinator solar light project