Power Talk
With S Divakar Bhat on Urja — From Darkness to Light — EMF
S Divakar Bhat, former Chairman of EMF recounts the story of how a bunch of motivated electrical engineering students of the Electrical Minds Forum brought power to a tribal village in the outskirts of Ernakulam that had lain in darkness for decades.
Can you imagine a life where your day ends at dusk? Where your life would come to a standstill when the lights go out, and the faint light of lanterns keeps whatever remains of the day alive for a while longer? This was the reality of a tribal settlement in Ernakulam, before the Electrical Minds Forum decided that they had to make a difference.
This is the first post in the series Power Talk, featuring our conversations with innovative minds who have striven to make a difference. ✨
I am in conversation with S Divakar Bhat, former student of Govt. Model Engineering College and former Chairman, Electrical Minds Forum. Having completed his degree in Electrical Engineering from Govt. Model Engineering College, Kochi, he is pursuing his Masters at IIT Bombay. I listen in as he shares reminiscences of Urja, one of the greatest campaigns of its kind undertaken by the college in its remarkable history.
1️⃣ By the time you had taken charge of the Electrical Minds Forum as Chairman in 2016, it had evolved into a hub of electrical engineering students, with a normal structure of events. What led you to Urja?
When we were invested as the core team of EMF, there were a few regular activities that the club was involved in. We could have followed suit and actually speaking, we did. Initially, EMF hosted regular Circuit Weeks and talks from experienced engineers and personnel from KSEB.
On the plus side, we were a really energetic team that wanted to do something worthwhile while we had the opportunity. That is how ‘Vidyut Tarang’, an exhibition delving into the history of Electrical Engineering took off, with really expensive and advanced electrical equipment and switchgear on display for the understanding of laymen and graduates alike, for which we received visitors from schools and other colleges.
But we were not really satisfied.
“We wanted to do something that would have an impact, big or small, on the lives of people. Only that would make us engineering students in the true sense of the word.”
We were hosting events as a student community for sure, but we wanted to go beyond those limits. We wanted to do something that would have an impact, big or small, on the lives of people. Only that would make us engineering students in the true sense of the word. We used to have weekly discussions about this.
Social engineering was the core area of focus, and we believed we could take on the task of implementing solar energy at a suitable location. That, somehow, didn’t sound very convincing. It took us some more time for the vague concept to be narrowed down to the final idea of providing electricity to a location where it would be absolutely required.
We took the help of part time students from KSEB who came up with a list of tribal settlements around Ernakulam where, (yes, unbelievable for our ears too, back then) electricity was still a luxury.
2️⃣ Out of all the options that you considered, why did you choose Uriyampetty? Was it anything special about the place?
After we came up with a list of tribal settlements, we decided on one. And that was not Uriyampetty. I don’t quite remember the name of the place, but hadn’t the monsoon been so hard on us, that was where Urja would have been launched. But the day we were to visit the place, which was during the monsoon, the river was flooded. I think there was some issue with the boats, because we could not cross the river and reach the settlement. (This settlement was easier to access and had less travel time too). So finally that’s how Azeez (more on him later) decided to take us to Uriyampetty.
So, I think it would be appropriate to say that we didn’t choose Uriyampetty. It chose us.
“Villagers travel through the unforgiving forest trail for almost 3.5 hours to reach the nearest town. Each of these trips cost them around Rs. 3000. The hustle and bustle of daytime comes to an abrupt standstill as soon as darkness falls over the forest.”
3️⃣ So, tell us a bit about Uriyampetty and its background.
Uriyampetty is a tribal village located in the Kuttampuzha Panchayath of Ernakulam district, with about 73 families who live in complete harmony with nature in the forests of the Western Ghats, oblivious of technological advancements all around them.
Now, it is quite important to understand that Uriyampetty is a settlement located so deep within the forest that power lines do not reach there. Yeah, that’s right. No charging ports, no gadgets. The location, which accounts for poor accessibility, makes medical emergencies a feared nightmare.
Villagers travel through the unforgiving forest trail for almost 3.5 hours to reach the nearest town. Each of these trips cost them around Rs. 3000. The hustle and bustle of daytime comes to an abrupt standstill as soon as darkness falls over the forest. Inhabitants either retreat to their homes or gather around a common fire for a while before retiring for the day.
We realized that electricity would open the doors to a brighter future for the people of Uriyampetty. They deserved a better life. We took it up as our goal to fulfill the mission. And we titled it Urja.
4️⃣ Woah! That’s something huge to take on as a college student, don’t you think? How did you handle all the paperwork that came with it?
We knew someone. A lawyer turned social worker, Azeez Kunnapilly. He helped us get the local contact and arranged transportation to the location. He was our guide in and out of Uriyampetty. The project wouldn’t have materialized if not for him.
Before any significant action was taken, we had to go there in person and survey the place to see where it would be possible to implement our plan and how we should go about it. We needed to know how much wiring would be needed, how to protect the equipment from the fluctuations in weather conditions, where to place the panel etc.
“They were impressed with our dedication to the cause and agreed to help us.”
5️⃣ How did you raise funding for the project?
One thing I can tell you; it wasn’t easy. In the beginning we tried approaching companies for funding. But they were not ready because afterall, we were just students. Plus, we didn’t have a track record of such projects. Uriyampetty was a first. After 4 months of this cycle of appointments and rejection in repeat, we decided to go for crowd funding.
The whole fund for Urja was contributed by the students and staff of Govt. Model Engineering College. It also included some personal commitments. We also used ketto.org and printed receipts. We managed to raise about 2.5 lakhs as a sum total of personal contributions from our juniors, the whole electrical batch and our entire alumni that contributed generously to make this project a reality.
“They were impressed with our dedication to the cause and agreed to help us.”
6️⃣ I believe you must have needed some serious technical expertise to lay out the PV (photo voltaic) project plan. How was that made possible?
We designed the basic PV plan ourselves. It did entail some research and lots of learning. We referred to as many resources as possible. We also had guidance from the faculty. Later, we approached Green Roof Solar Ltd., a solar solution company based in Cochin, with our early stage design. They were impressed with our dedication to the cause and agreed to help us.
We had begun the design with some basic home lighting needs, but it lacked the experience, and needed all the modifications it could have from professionals. Apart from modifying the design, they also supplied us with the materials and technical support required to implement this project at Uriyampetty.
The project was designed as a complete DC grid with DC changeover for battery charging, giving space for probable future expansion. According to the general plan, one panel would be installed per location with required charge control and battery charging mechanisms and to provide 2 ‘LED lights per house and a few common lights.
“We were able to do only about 3 to 4 hours of proper work at Uriyampetty. This meant we had to travel more often than we assumed.”
7️⃣ What were the difficulties you faced with Urja?
Uriyampetty is a place that is really, really, remote and is extremely difficult to reach. At times, we had to clear the forest path or had to lay down rocks to fill pits so that the jeep could travel across it.
We would visit the site for work on holidays and weekends. Like I said, Uriyampetty needed some real tiring travel to be done. It takes nearly 4 hours to get to the settlement from Kuttampuzha. We had to travel in a jeep through the forest to reach there. The forests were known for a marked presence of elephants, which added to the risk. Quite understandably, we were permitted to start the journey only in the morning after 7 am.
Going by the travel time I mentioned, we would reach there by about 11 am. It was also imperative that we get back before it got dark. This meant that we had to stop the day’s work by 2 - 3 pm and start the return journey to make it safely out by 6 - 7 pm. Added to this was the travel from Ernakulam to Kuttampuzha. So, summing up, we were able to do only about 3 to 4 hours of proper work at Uriyampetty.
This meant we had to travel more often than we assumed.
But in the face of adversities, there will always be people who appear like godsend. I’ll relate a story to you: The driver who used to take us up was a very good person. One time, when we were out of funds, he agreed to take us up even without us paying. He agreed to go on credit. We paid him later.
It was a small act of kindness. But it still means a lot to us.
Not to forget that this project was running parallel to the academic project, regular examinations and other activities (including organizing a full fledged techno managerial fest, Excel) of full-time Engineering students.
I have no idea how we would have managed both Excel and EMF if we didn’t have so good an EMF team. Merin George, the Vice Chairperson, Joemon Joseph, Treasurer, B. Paramesh, Technical Head, Unnikrishnan and Reshma, Event Coordinators, Sharanya Pillai, Web Manager, Balagovind and Nikhil Indukumar, Design Heads. Wow, we were really one awesome team. We always had each other’s back. And that’s the real reason Urja happened. Cheers to them!
“Neither did we have other motives nor did we belong to a political or religious section. Their hope and the commitment that we made kept us going.”
8️⃣ What kept you motivated whenever you hit a roadblock?
The first time we visited Uriyampetty, we saw something. There was hope in the eyes of the people there. To them, we were students. Just that. Neither did we have other motives nor did we belong to a political or religious section. Their hope and the commitment that we made kept us going.
We had started out with Urja in July 2016. We wrapped it up in February 2017 . We were able to provide power to a total of 20 homes in uriyampetty under Urja. Looking back, none of it would have been possible without the faculty of Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering who were with us from the inception till the very end. It was our journey, our mission, as a team.
“As I see it, we’re all meant to do whatever we can, however small it be, to help whoever we can. It might not change the world, but at best, it will bring a smile on a hopeful face.”
9️⃣ So, I guess that brings us to the end of this Power Talk. What do you want to tell the engineering community reading this post?
I just want youngsters like us to think about doing whatever they can for the people around them who need help. I have always believed that we must not get stuck in the “scoring well, graduating, getting a job” circle, and be done with life. Live “happily ever after”. As I see it, we’re all meant to do whatever we can, however small it be, to help whoever we can. It might not change the world, but at best, it will bring a smile on a hopeful face.
And hopefully ripples of that small act will go on to make a wave of change.
