May 18th, 2008 
krishna Crossing two rivers on rickety handmade boats with a jumpy 5-km rickshaw ride in between, to reach there. Till about six years ago, there was no running water or even a bulb to read under in this small village in the Sundarbans. In an age when most urban Indians come home to almost 300 channels at their beckoning, the residents here had to do without the luxury of electric power.
The area Sundarbans now comprises 4 per cent of the world’s solar-dependant population—quite a large figure. Now, it gets six hours of electricity every evening, thanks to the two solar plants that were installed here in 2001. From being a no-name entity, Moushuni is today one of the 47 villages in and around the Sundarbans area that run only on alternative energy. The best thing about solar energy is that it is maintenance-free.
It is heavenly experience for the people who had to live in darkness even 55 years after Independence. Earlier, they had to cross the river and walk a dozen miles just to get a document photocopied. Now the bazaar has a photocopier and a digital studio. The village school is on its way to getting a computer lab. For Rs 75 per three-point and Rs 130 per five-point connection every month, the residents now have the comforts that many people in the rest of the country have long enjoyed— television sets, fans and even refrigerators.
A tenth of the total population of the village have subscribed to the solar connections. For the students’, caretakers provides extra hours of electricity during examinations. And they have something in store for a rainy day. When there’s not enough sun, the plants have gasifiers where they burn twigs with the help of diesel and convert the heat into electricity. Though prolonged cloudy periods leave them with no choice. Each plate runs for 40 years, with a change of batteries needed every seven years.
Life here is fluctuation-free and as natural as it can possibly get. As the last boat sails away from the island, a tiny bulb lights up near its shore. And as you leave, Moushuni glitters in the distance.
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