On Thursday night, volunteers of Aarohan Sanstha landed in the slum near the town bus stand here, and fixed solar lamps in the huts even as the residents stood astonished.
The facts behind the initiative came to light only after a photo was published on the twitter account of actor Alia Bhat. “The amazing response to ‘Mi Wardrobe is Su Wardrobe’ enabled us to light up homes of 40 families living in darkness in Kikkeri through the #LiterOfLight initiative. Thank you @StdElectricals for helping us install eco friendly solar lamps, brightening 200 lives #Coexist,” read Alia Bhatt @aliaa08.
“Coexist is a platform that highlights and works towards the issues of animal and ecological welfare. Our mission is to educate and engage communities to build a future in which man and nature live together in harmony. From time to time, this page will focus the spotlight on worthy conservation efforts so we can applaud them and learn from them. However, Coexist does not endorse any individual or organization,” reads the Facebook wall of Coexist, of Alia Bhat.
Supported by volunteers of Aarohan Sanstha, electricians of Standard Electricals fixed two lights in each hut, besides giving table lamps to children and installing four street lamps. The volunteers and electricians did not introduce themselves and the people thought they must be some government employees.
Ahmad, a beneficiary, said that the residents of the slum had lost everything in a fire that gutted their huts 10 years ago. “We are still recovering. We thought that the government agencies are helping us out,” he said.
Under her ‘Mi Wardrobe is Su Wardrobe’ initiative, Alia Bhat auctions the costumes she uses in her movies and pools money for social service. Aarohan Sanstha is involved in social work, including reuse of plastic like bottles.