Two Friends Bring Solar Power to 300 Homes in Arunachal

When night fell over Gandhigram village in Arunachal Pradesh, Merwyn Coutinho and Rajiv Rathod watched everything go completely dark. The remote village had no electricity, and families relied on burning firewood just to see inside their own homes.

The two friends were on an impromptu trip in 2011, exploring the lush green forests and hilly terrain. But that evening changed everything for them.

They launched the Batti project to bring light to villages that had never had it. The "Batti kit" includes a solar panel, LED battery, three LED tubes with holders and switches, 21 meters of cabling, and a charge controller.

The kit is built to last in harsh conditions and easy enough for families to install themselves. Each one transforms a home from total darkness to having reliable light for the first time ever.

Starting in Gandhigram, the project quickly expanded. By 2012, they had lit up hundreds of homes in the Lower Dibang Valley and about 100 more in East Kameng's Lada Circle.

"We were wanderers, moving constantly without much of a reason, until that day," Merwyn says. "From no plans to structured road maps to helping villages get the basic facility of light, we have come a long way."

The friends also partnered with The Technical University of Munich to bring solar power to 50 residential schools in Jumupani village. Students can now study after dark, and teachers can prepare lessons in the evening.

The Ripple Effect

The solar kits do more than just provide light. Children can study after sunset, extending their learning time by several hours each day.

Families no longer breathe in harmful smoke from burning firewood indoors. Women can do household work more safely and efficiently in the evening hours.

The project shows how a single weekend trip can spark a movement that changes hundreds of lives. What started as two friends wanting to help one village has become a repeatable model for rural electrification.

Merwyn and Rajiv prove that you don't need massive funding or government backing to make real change happen. Sometimes all it takes is seeing a problem, refusing to look away, and taking the first step to solve it.