Imagine a life where night descends as an impenetrable blackness, electricity is a lush distant dream, and safety is a constant battle. This was the reality for the Katkari and Kunbi tribal communities of Maharashtra, who migrate seasonally in search of livelihood.

“In our village, our lives were guided by the flickering light of kerosene lamps. For years, the sunset signalled the close of our day, as darkness enveloped the village by 7:30 pm,” says Sonu Shitaram Jadhav, a resident of Munshi village.

For Sonu and other residents of his village, nights were long, punctuated by the distant howls of wildlife, the uneasy growls of village dogs, and a lingering shadow of crime. Primarily labourers, these tribal communities toiled in brick kilns for a meagre Rs 120 a day. They had adapted to this life without electricity. But six months ago, something remarkable started taking shape in this tiny hamlet.

Tanveer Inamdar, a 28-year-old mechanical engineer from Pune decided to bring electricity to the villagers and light up their homes with technology. He had worked for various multinational companies before he decided to shift focus towards social welfare.

In 2018, he established the TREEI (Technology Reuse Environment Empowerment Innovation) Foundation and started working in tribal areas, starting with water-fetching solutions. The lack of electricity in these villages caught his eye. “During implementation (of water-fetching solutions), we realised that these villages also lacked electricity. This led us to explore solutions for providing them with power. Our goal has always been to use technology for social development,” he says.

Lighting up homes with portable solar systems

In 2022, Tanveer launched ‘Mission Urja’ with the aim of bringing........

© The Better India