GURMET ANGMO – The solar powered Woman

– By Gyaneshwar Dayal

Gurmet Angmo in Sumda Chenmo village of Ladakh was drawn to a burning electric bulb at Leh like a moth when she was 11 years old. Until then she never saw anything in her life. Coming from a remote hill area there was no question of conventional electricity in her village or surrounding areas.

But today Angmo is a Solar Engineer and entrepreneur with a dream to work for the upliftment of the Himalayan community. She has electrified more than 50 villages in Ladakh and Meghalaya with the Global Himalayan Expedition. She is an inspiration among the local women of Ladakh. Her work has been recognized by many.

Growing up, lives were deeply interwoven with nature for Angmo and her peers. Days revolved around the sun, getting shorter and shorter in the deep winters. A typical day started early with household chores, followed by school and farming. With no electricity at home, villagers had a limited number of productive hours to spare.

So, even the students rushed back from school to help parents on the farm. And rushed home again to complete homework and cook before sundown to utilise the sunlight to the maximum.

For mountain communities, education comes at a price. There is no basic infrastructure and facilities like electricity, water, and a sturdy roof. Computers, internet, or high-tech classes — in remote villages is a luxury to find a school with permanent teachers!

After schooling she couldn’t get a job which she wanted, and a couple of years later, got married and became a mother too. But the idea of being independent never left her. It was an unexpected turn of events that led me to Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE) and to a career in clean energy access as a solar engineer through her brother, who was a part of the organisation already.

GHE is one of the world’s first organisations using tourism and technology to bring solar energy to remote communities. It has won a UN award for efforts to fight climate change amid Covid-19 and many other recognitions.

The first hurdle though, was to attend a six-month-long training programme at Barefoot College in Tilonia in Rajasthan, an extremely opposite place with unfamiliar language and food. It was her first exposure to the world at large, and it made her aware of its vastness and diversity. There were participants from all over the globe here. She made many friends too, some of whom were from states as far away as Manipur, and still in touch with them.

It was in college she held a screwdriver in her hand for the very first time. But I grew more confident with each class, and soon learnt how to repair LED bulbs, charge controllers and solar lanterns. Later, she picked up more information on solar panels and batteries from the GHE team.

She formally joined GHE after she returned to Leh and soon after, headed out for her very first assignment with my colleague Achen to electrify the sacred 1000-year-old Lingshed monastery in Leh District and its adjacent village. But it was a herculean task! The monastery had to be electrified with 97 households in less than 10 days. But she managed to do it in 9! The Head Lama told her how pleased he was to see Ladakhi women setting an example for others to follow. It was a moment of great pride and she still remembers it like it was yesterday.

In time, people across Ladakh learnt about her and her work. Today, it feels so good when women of own community consider her a role model. So, now she tries to educate women and girls in every village she visits.

Angomo’s second outside visit was to far away Meghalaya first time on a flight! She stayed for a fortnight here at the villages of Rongmegre and Rongroasimgre and electrified more than 50 households.

She has come a long way from living in the dark to setting up solar microgrids in remote villages and hopes to keep going. She also hopes other women in rural areas have a journey as beautiful as hers. Her advice: Start small! Don’t wait for a big break or a government job. Instead, learn solar engineering, handicrafts, or any other skills you can. There are so many training programmes and opportunities today; make the effort to find them. And in the end, do what you can, with what you have, from where you are!

Source: Himalayan News Chronicle