SunKalp Brings Solar Tech to "Forgotten Villages" in India
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Gulabganj, India has not had electricity for 25 years, and Kanika Khanna MNG '08 is on a mission to change that. Khanna’s company, SunKalp, brings solar technology to what Khanna calls “forgotten villages” in India: rural areas such as these that need power badly, have been promised help from politicians, and have not received it.
SunKalp has a crowd-funding initiative through IndieGoGo to bring solar technology to Gulabganj, in spite of the town’s doubts about the project. As Khanna explained in a Your Story article, “Crowd funding is so new to even urban India, it was next to impossible for the residents of Gulabganj to understand, why would somebody give money for this project?”
The project’s campaign page makes a convincing case as to why many people would want to contribute. The lengthy proposal description explains that electrification in rural India would lead to lower fertility rates, increased classroom attendance, stronger local economies, and reduced crime.
SunKalp already designs solar energy grids for industries and schools in India, but Khanna’s passion is to advance social changes in small villages like Gulabganj. Khanna and her company have faced many challenges, such as dealing with the bureaucracy of working with other solar companies and the individual stresses that Khanna faces as a young female entrepreneur: “Getting people to believe that I’m an MS from MIT and I know what I’m doing is a barrier,” Khanna explains to Your Story. “Every time I have just about made up my mind to shut shop, something new and exciting comes up. That’s what keeps me going day after day.”
The project has raised almost $3,000 at the time of this writing, but only 18 days remain for donors to match its funding goal of $12,000. Lend a hand and donate to light up Gulabganj at SunKalp's IndieGoGo page.
Comments
Fernando Fuentes
Sun, 12/15/2013 2:34am
What has happened to Kanika Khanna and her company since then? Are they still in business? I would love to know because I am interested in renewable energies as a solution to energy poverty in parts of the world like India, Africa, certain villages in my native Mexico, etcetera.
Any way to contact her? Thanks!
Ryan
Wed, 10/30/2013 2:26pm
It is a shame that bureaucracy holds up projects like this in parts of the world that so desperately need something as simple as a light bulb.
I used to work with someone who was very deeply involved in projects like these through the solar electric light fund (SELF) and was always fascinated by the stories he told me from his travels. Stories of something that I take for granted that completely transforms the lives of poor villagers.
I wish Khanna and her organization nothing but success.