Schoolbag lights up the lives of slum children!

August 5, 2014

Hindustan Times (Kolkata)
Soumya Pillai

NEW DELHI: Now, here’s an idea worthy of an A+ — a schoolbag that can be used as a lamp in the dark.

The idea struck 34-year-old creative designer Anusheela Saha when she was talking to her domestic help. She told me about the problems her children faced while studying at night. There are frequent power outages in her slum. This got me thinking,” she said.

Saha’s solution was simple. Attach solar panels to school bags that collect energy during the day to power LED lights in the night. The bags are also equipped with a nifty device that converts a child’s movement into electricity as they walk around during the day.

The backpacks look like regular school bags, but an LED lamp is visible when the front pocket is unzipped. Solar panels are attached to the sides and can power the lamp for more than eight hours.

“Children are out in the sun, walking to school and back and playing in the fields. While they’re doing that, the panels attached to their bags get activated. Any physical activity they undertake while carrying their bags also adds energy,” Saha explained.

One would think such an idea would be immediately picked up by manufacturers, but, after facing several rejections, Saha eventually had to approach a local tailor to give shape to her vision.

The solar panels are imported from China. “I didn’t use locally made panels because they’re heavy,” she said. As a result, the bag weighs just 600gm and is easy to carry.