Meet TBI Showcase ‘Young Innovator’ Whose Rs 250 Bulb Shines in 10000 Rural Homes Even During Power Cuts

In villages across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and beyond, evenings no longer plunge families into darkness during power cuts. Thanks to a simple yet transformative invention by Uday Bhatia, a Class 12 student, over 10,000 households now access reliable light during outages.

Uday’s Rs 250 inverter bulb offers eight to 10 hours of backup — a lifeline for rural families who cannot afford traditional inverters. By using a pulse width modulation algorithm, the bulb optimises brightness and battery usage, ensuring efficiency at low cost.

Shining the spotlight on Uday Bhatia

Uday began his journey in April 2022 after volunteering in Bichpuri village with the Aasra Foundation, where children told him their biggest challenge was studying in the dark during eight to 10-hour power cuts. Moved by their struggles, he returned determined to build a solution.

Winner of the ‘Young Innovator’ category at Optum Presents The Better India Showcase, supported by the M3M Foundation, Uday set up a small workstation on his terrace with just Rs 30,000. Over eight months, he built and tested 24 prototypes, teaching himself algorithms and circuit design from YouTube until he succeeded.

What began as a personal project grew into a social venture, ‘Uday Electric’, with the tagline “Bijli gul phir bhi ujjala full” (“Even with power cuts, there will still be light”).

How a Rs 250 bulb transformed rural nights

The impact of Uday’s invention is far-reaching. Today, more than 10,000 homes across 20 states — including UP, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and even Delhi’s outskirts — use the bulbs. In Dehradun’s Kabadi Bazaar, he donated 950 units to slum households through Aasra Foundation.

The bulbs have enabled children to study, families to extend work hours, and rural vendors to earn income through distribution. For many communities, uninterrupted light has restored a sense of dignity and safety at night.

The environmental benefits are equally significant. By reducing reliance on kerosene lamps and diesel inverters, these bulbs promote energy conservation and contribute to lowering carbon footprints. Designed to recharge during the day, they align with renewable energy systems in off-grid areas.

Balancing school with invention, Uday’s perseverance has been extraordinary. His determination even earned him the Diana Award 2023, which honours young changemakers worldwide.

Now scaling manufacturing, he plans to launch a low-cost tubelight for rural factories, extending his vision of affordable, sustainable energy solutions for every home left behind by India’s power grid.

While Uday was among the winners at Optum Presents The Better India Showcase, supported by the M3M Foundation, we believe true recognition is what comes even after the applause. And so, we will be highlighting stories of the winners across categories for the next few weeks. 

Read about the other winners here.

Edited by Khushi Arora