Power lesons your child will teach you

BESCOM spreads the message of saving power through school children.

This story was a sheer luck when I had gone to shoot some file images at the BESCOM (Bangalore Electricity Supply Company) office on the exhibition on how to save energy, for our Bangalore Mirror library purpose. As I entered the hall where the exhibits were on display a lady walked up to me and requested me if I would be kind enough to also cover their education programe for the school children. I obliged and spend some half hour during the special BESCOM session for the children and cam up with the story. When I reached office Niranjan Kaggere, the correspondent who cover the energy beat asked me if I have any story since he did not have any on 15th January 2008. I told him about the story I was going to write and he requested me if he could do the writing bit and we take a joint byline. I obliged with Niranjan since this was not our first joint story as we had written many before this. But sadly what is happened to today’s journalism is that the reporters have to be spoon fed by the photojournalist community who are on the field most of the time. Gone are the days when the reporter and the photojournalist worked ‘hand in glove’ situation. This is not a very good trend for journalism and may end up in favour of the ever active photojournalists who have been deprived of their dues.

Parents don’t be baffled if your children return from school one day and ask questions about the monthly spending on electricity in your home.
Their gyan comes from the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM).
For the last one month, Bescom has been imparting knowledge on power supply to the students. Specifically, the DSM Center (Distribution Efficiency and demand Side Management) at the Bescom’s corporate office takes students on a day long tour and conducts a workshop which explains how to save energy by using CFL’s (Compact Fluorescent Lamps).
Awareness programmes on energy conservation have been on in full swing. Unlike its earlier methods of creating awareness, this time the company has decided that children could be instrumental in bringing about a change. Hence the DSM center is organizing activities like exhibitions, workshops and lectures on methods to cut increased power consumption and the use of CFL bulbs.

According to senior officers, the programme will make children the instruments of change.
Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, Chethan D, coordinator of the DSM Center at Bescom, said, “Our concern is to educate all our stake holders, residents’ welfare association and school children. Over the years, there has been an increase in the annual load growth by six percent and there is no new generation for the time being except to manage efficiently with currently available power. This is one such method to create awareness among people.”
The center, which was inaugurated a month ago, is the brain child of KPTCL (Karnataka Power Transmission and Corporation Ltd) and all its five electricity supply companies envisages to focus on promoting energy-efficient devices and energy conservation. When asked about the financial grants and budget allocation for the programmes conducted through DSM centers, Chethan said, “Even though there is no separate funding for the programmes, the center being the joint venture of both the organizations, will make use of funds pooled in by both KPTCL and Bescoms.” Around 1,000 children and teachers in various batches have attended the programmes and the number might double during the days to come, according to Bescom officials.

Murali Krishnan, student of a private school who attended the workshop, said he would go back home and ask his parents to change their regular bulbs to CFL even if they cost a little more. Murali also added that he will explain in detail how the family can benefit and also that state electricity board from this small change of bulbs.
Another student, Preeti, said that at her home they have been using only incandescent bulbs and normal bulbs along with tube lights. “This workshop has taught me a lot and when I get back home after school, I will advice my parents on this and request them to change al the bulbs to CFL,” she added.
Students will also be taught about various gadgets, besides CFL’s that could cut the unnecessary consumption. Gadgets and accessories have also been displayed at the center. The center the first of its kind I the country, is not just working on its own but getting help from other prominent energy companies like ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Commission). “The ONGC has agreed to provide us with resources and help us in conducting lectures by sending is resource persons,” Chethan added.