Lighting up smiles

Mumbai is one of the few rare cities of the world that houses a huge national park in its centre, acting as the green lung of a concrete jungle. What many are unaware of is the fact that the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), in turn houses a handful of adivasis, who are living a primitive life—a stark contrast to the urbanites of Mumbai.

With an aim to help these tribals, Kandivali's Growel's 101 Mall initiated 'Green Santa' with the help of its loyal customers. As part of the initiative, the mall gave away 200 solar lamps to the tribal families to rid them of darkness, without worrying about electricity bills.

Rajiv Bhatia, COO, Real Estate, Growel Group, shares, "It is unimaginable that there could be people, who are far from receiving even basic amenities like electricity. It is a blotch on the urban setup that we all take pride in. With this initiative, we are taking a small step towards bridging the gap."

Registered shoppers of the mall's loyalty programme usually redeem their shopping points to make further purchases. However, in order to contribute towards the noble cause, several shoppers from areas such as Kandivali and Borivali, availed their points to buy the solar lamps. Many customers came to SGNP to handover the lamps to the tribal families.

Punit Jain, a customer of Growel's Mall, says, "It is a great initiative by Growel's 101 Mall and I am glad that I could participate in it. It gave me an opportunity to light up these lesser privileged homes and I am elated to be a part of the cause."

The tribal families were thrilled to receive their useful yet economical gift. While receiving a solar lamp for her home, Meena, an elderly housewife, shares, "We are thankful since we needed a lamp to use in the dark. My grandchildren can now study into the night for their exams."
pooja.patel@dnaindia.net