India village gets electricity after 65 years
A village in India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh recently got electricity for the first time - 65 years after independence. The BBC Hindi's Nitin Srivastava visits Chibaukhera to find out how the lives of more than 100 families have changed.
Fifty-one-year old Ram Achal is a relaxed man these days.
For many years, he travelled to a neighbouring village daily to recharge his mobile phone because there was no electricity at home.
"We have been waiting for decades to get bulbs and fans in our homes. Despite being so close to the malls and colourful shopping complexes in Lucknow city, our lives revolved around kerosene lamps and candles. Not anymore," he says.
Chibaukhera is barely 15km (nine miles) from the airport in Lucknow, the bustling, brightly lit state capital. It's also a half-an-hour's drive from the residence of the state's chief minister.
Ram Achal's is one among the 100-odd families living in this sleepy farming village.
'Nightmare'
"All this while, living here was a nightmare. Men in our village never received marriage proposals from outside as parents were afraid of sending their daughters or sisters into this darkness," he says.
A newly installed 100 kilowatt (KW) electric transformer has now changed the life of villagers in Chibaukhera.
Within days of its installation, many families bought bulbs, fans and refrigerator for their homes. Power cuts are still common, but people say they are happy with even eight to 10 hours of electricity a day.
Uttar Pradesh is one of India's most under-developed states and more than 10,000 of its 97,122 villages still languish without electricity.
