Solar power brings light to Maharashtra’s forgotten tribal people
In the forested folds of the Sahyadri mountain ranges, spread across Thane to Satara regions of western Maharashtra, nightfall once marked the end of life for the Kathkari and other tribal communities. With no electricity, no government identity documents and no formal recognition, families living in nomadic huts in villages such as Kashing, Davaje, Watunde, Jowan and several others would shut themselves indoors after sunset, fearing wild animals and exploitation.
“After sunset, life simply stopped in these villages. People were not living without electricity, they were surviving without safety,” said Tanveer Inamdar, founder of Mission Urja.
