He is neither Shah Rukh Khan from Swades nor is he young or foreign-returned. However, at the age of 70, this ‘Pune ka mama’ has won many hearts by lighting up 67 households of a poor tribal community in the remote Hangrum village in Haflong taluka of Assam.
Having to make do with kerosene lamps, year after year, the villagers were filled with joy when the retired Bajaj manager, Arun Ganesh Saraswate, undertook his solar electrification project.
A resident of Dapodi, Pune, Saraswate, known as ‘Pune ka Mama’ among the tribals, raised Rs3.77 lakh as donation from 88 Puneites for his project.
Speaking to DNA, he said, “I have been visiting Assam since 2003 after retirement, teaching various subjects to the tribal students studying in hostels run by Vanwasi Kalyan Ashram.”
While teaching these students, Saraswate suffered frequent power-cuts due to heavy downpour, strong winds and other natural disturbances.
One day he purchased two solar lamps from Pune and donated them to two tribal girls pursuing their matriculation.
Impressed by the lamps the villagers requested Saraswate to provide them with the lamps too. “Living in one of the most prosperous parts of the country, I understood their need for light. But having retired, I could not afford to donate the lamps,” he said.
Saraswate urged the Hangrum community to raise part of the funds for the project through a community initiative and promised to raise the rest through donations from Pune.
Since Assam is a hilly region with the rainy season spread over nearly seven months, Saraswate took two different types of solar lamps to Assam and finally selected the more sturdy one.
While the tribals collected Rs69,000 Saraswate raised Rs3.77 lakh through donations by 88 Puneites.
“Each solar lamp consists of one solar panel with a life of 25 years, one LED lamp with capacity of one lakh working hours and a rechargeable battery,” Saraswate said.
After successfully completing the project, Saraswate returned to Pune and organised a get-together of the donors on February 19 at the MES Bhave High School. He thanked them profusely for their generous financial support which not only lit up homes in remote Assam but also the souls of the Hangrum villagers.
