I grew up in Worli, a residential neighborhood of South Mumbai, India. The park in which my friends and I used to play, is now a parking lot. Across the street, the neighborhood is a maze of tightly built mud and concrete houses. Given the population density, it is hard to find space and set up a new electricity pole. In India, we are used to densely populated areas. We brush aside inconveniences and get by with phrases like “Kindly adjust.” With those two words, we make space, we co-exist, and we get by. In India and other parts of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, we have been ‘kindly adjusting’ with our lives, especially the way in which millions still access and consume electricity. However, despite the existing challenges, the Government of India has made great strides in connecting all households to the grid. Still, reliable power supply 24×7 continues to remain a challenge and thousands of households are having to invest in power back-up options. Interestingly the irony remains that India is not a power deficient nation. We generate far more than what we can use. The current challenge is to make reliable power reach to those who need it and when they need it. And it’s not just India alone but many other countries who are blessed with energy sources but have neither the resources nor the technical know-how to harness and distribute it.

Read more: The Times of India