Two engineering graduates in Chennai have designed a solar emergency lamp that not only provides light, but also functions as an MP3 player, FM radio and a mobile charger port.
The four-in-one solar lamp named ‘Tonelite’ developed by N. Nagarajan, 25, and G. Karthick, 28, hit the market with the help of the Tamil Nadu Industrial Investment Corporation (TIIC) project ‘Grow an Entrepreneur’ scheme and is flying off the shelves with many government offices and private firms across the state purchasing the device.
An 8x8 ft room at Aminjikarai serves as Nagarajan and Karthick’s ‘dream factory’. They listen closely to the needs of people and custom design products to meet those needs. “We do not make a product and then try to market it but create products based on the needs of customers,” Nagarajan said, pointing to an inverter they recently manufactured that automatically switches to solar mode in the day.
While their families and peers advised them to get regular jobs, TIIC offered them a Rs 2 lakh loan in 2010 without collateral so that they could realise their ambition to become entrepreneurs.
Repaying the sum without delay, the duo is now getting ready to be mentors. They have employed four school dropouts, two of whom are girls, to repair electronic goods. A physically challenged person works from home to fix defects in the new products they manufacture.
“We do not want to be like the Ambanis. We will manufacture simple, functional gadgets and make them available at low prices,” they said.
The Government Eye Hospital at Egmore glitters with solar streetlights put up by the duo. They do not advertise their products.
“Word of mouth is the best form of advertisement. We receive orders from people who want to utilise solar energy,” they said.
