“Now my mother-in-law sells vegetables in the light of this solar lantern

On my field visit with Milaap partner, GMF, to Erumaipatti block of Namakkal district, I arrived at Kongangipatti village at a fine evening in order to meet Banupriya, a solar lantern customer. When I reached her home, I found her busy in teaching her daughter. However, as she saw me, she warmly greeted me inside. Making room on the cot for me to sit, she joined me for a short discussion. Banupriya, 22 is a diligent housewife who is blessed with two sweet children. Her four years old daughter attends lower kindergarten of Punguraj Public School, Erumaipatti. Her son is just eight months old. She said, “My husband paints and polishes trucks in Namakkal town. Therefore, our income varies from Rs. 10,000 to 20,000 depending upon the work available.”
                                     
As far as the electricity supply is concerned, her village has regular power cuts of two to three hours in the evening from 6 PM to 9 PM. She said (laughingly), “As the sun sets, the power shuts down here.” Previously, her family used to depend on dry cell battery lamp. She said, “There was a weekly consumption of 12 dry cells which used to cost around Rs. 60.” She says that the brightness of the light was also not much and only one person could work with it at a time. Informed by a GMF Field Officer, she decided to obtain a solar lantern through a microloan of Rs. 2,300. She said, “I had already seen the lantern in my neighbors house and therefore, I was pretty much aware of its usefulness.” 
 
Sharing her experience of using the lantern in her home, Banupriya said, “It’s one of the most demanded products of my household. It has enough brightness (when switched to third mode) that it evenly brightens my hall and kitchen.” She has fixed the solar panel at her roof where it’s well exposed to the sunlight. She charges her lantern on alternate days from 9 AM to 4 PM. She says that my mother-in-law (who lives in a separate house near to that of Banupriya) also uses this lantern. She added (proudly), “She sells onions in the weekly market of the village. And on every Thursday see brings my solar lantern on her stall.” Earlier her mother-in-law would use a traditional kerosene bottle lamp. Banupriya said, “With that lamp she had to face difficulties in choosing good quality onions while offering to a customer.” Now, her mother-in-law appreciate the solar lantern and says that more customers get attracted to her stall as the onions look brighter in its light.
 
Moreover, Banupriya’s husband, Devaraj, highly appreciates its provision of cell phone charging. She said, “Since my husband returns back home in the evening during power cut, he, therefore, instantly puts his cell phone on charging which is generally drained out.” Now, Banupriya’s family is highly satisfied with the product. She said (cheerfully), “Sometimes, it doesn’t feel that we have power cuts at all as it so well fills the space.” She has deeply thanked all her lenders through me.