This Diwali, Help 500 Families in 7 Tribal Villages See Light in Their Homes for the First Time

Swapnali hates being branded a failure. But three unsuccessful attempts at clearing her Class 5 exams lent her the badge of shame. At just 12, Swapnali wakes up early, cooks, cleans, and watches her siblings get dressed to go to school. She doesn’t follow suit. After she failed the third time, she dropped out.

But the blame is unfair, she thinks. You see, Swapnali’s home is cut off from the grid. This, compounded by the fact that she used to reach home only by 5 pm — the school is a 10 km walk from home — meant she barely managed to eke out time to study. 

As the clock chimes 6 pm in Mulshi, Pune, the skies cast a shadow over the homes — and consequently, over the dreams of the Katkari community who call these villages home. Swapnali always attempted to complete her homework before dark set in. But, eventually, her eyes would grow red and tired, trying to decipher the words in her books. 

Her story echoes the fate of hundreds of children dispersed across seven villages — Kashing, Dawaje, Maale, Shere, Wartunde, Lavale, and Disli — of Mulshi in Pune, who have never known light. 

As cities prepare to sparkle this Diwali, hundreds of families in Mulshi still wait for their first light. This year, you can change that story with a small gift of just Rs 800. The money will go towards equipping 500 homes with durable 75-watt solar lights, each complete with a lithium battery, solar panel, and an 18-hour backup — ensuring that children can study, women can cook safely, and families can finally live without fear of the dark.

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‘Leopards prowl outside our homes after dark’

Balu Katkar doesn’t know the term PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). But a conversation with him suggests he lives with it. When he is outside his home after dark, Balu constantly glances over his shoulder. The memory of seeing a leopard nearby isn’t one he can get over easily. “After dark, we cannot even think of going to the toilet. Our village does not have lights. We are too scared,” he shares. 

It isn’t just Balu, but every member of his family who bears the brunt of the darkness. “My wife cannot cook after it starts getting dark. My children cannot complete their homework. I cannot work longer hours because it is unsafe to return home,” he shares. 

How will a light help?

“It will change our lives,” Balu responds. “It will bring happiness to our home.” 

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The Katkari tribe, classified as PVTG (particularly vulnerable tribal group), is relegated to the lowest rungs of the class hierarchy. They live on the outskirts of the village in small hamlets known as wadi or pada, in homes that are built with mud-plastered sticks and topped with thatched roofs made of palm leaves or grass. 

Once hunter-gatherers, the Katkaris have a semi-nomadic lifestyle, shaped by economic hardship. Until recent legal reforms, many were compelled to work as bonded labourers. But the degree to which they are cut off from the modernities of urban life shocked Tanveer Inamdar, who established the TREEI (Technology Reuse Environment Empowerment Innovation) Foundation in 2018, dedicated to empowering them. The main chasm was the lack of electricity. 

Light is a language of survival here, he observed. “Frequent migration and fragile hut structures made permanent installations impractical in many places. That’s why we designed our solar solutions around four key needs: lighting, application use, safety, and backup.” 

In 2022, Tanveer launched ‘Mission Urja’ to bring electricity to villages that had never seen the glow of a bulb. The initiative uses sustainable solutions to solve real-world urgencies, especially in remote pockets of the country. 

This Diwali, join him in taking the glow of possibility to villages that have lived too long in the dark. 

How a small bulb can change lives

“To see the children dance again” — this is Tanveer’s goal. He’s referring to the day solar-powered street lights were installed in the Valane village in Mulshi. “To us it’s light, but to the children here, it’s hope. To the women, it’s the opportunity to visit each other’s homes after dark. To the men, it’s the ability to work for longer in the forest and not worry about making their way home because the roads will be unlit.” 

He continues, “When we first entered Mulshi, we noticed how the absence of light led to animal attacks, children dropping out of school — the dropout rate, was 90 percent, with only one in hundreds completing their Class 8 education — and women facing harassment.”

Light, he realised, was a pragmatic necessity, a catalyst for change. And this Diwali, he wants to take the impact to seven more villages. But he needs you.  

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He reasons that the solar lights won’t just solve for education and safety-related needs.

“Currently, the Katkari community uses firewood for light. So often, the rampant use of firewood has started fires that have burned down their homes. Since this is a forested area, the flames spread quickly, and entire villages are often destroyed. These people depend on the forest for produce, and so the forest is damaged, their livelihoods are destroyed,” Tanveer explains. The solar light will ensure safer homes and villages. 

For the Katkari families of Mulshi, light isn’t luxury — it’s life. This Diwali, let’s gift them their first. Together, let’s light up 500 homes, and with them, 500 new beginnings.

All pictures courtesy TREEI Foundation

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