Choosing an Emergency Light is a tricky job, because there are a variety of models available in the market. Some of these are imported ones and some are home made. There are some with a two-band radio. I do not understand the big idea of combining a light with a radio. If it is dark, you may like to listen to radio just to kill time, but when you have got light, what do you want to listen ? What about TV ? There are solar powered emergency lights. They are quite good, and give you enough illumination as an emergency light.
The word emergency is a misnomer. If you know that you are going to have power cut during fixed hours every evening, how can you call it an emergency? An emergency occurs suddenly without prior warning. Anyway, emergency or no emergency, the Emergency Light has come to stay. In Orissa we have a power cut of one hour in the evenings in urban areas. In rural areas it is for two hours. Thank God, the Energy Minister of the Government of Orissa has announced in the floors of the Orissa Legislative Assembly that from today, there won’t be power cut between 5 in the evening and 9 at night. But the Minister did not say whether there would be power cut beyond 9 at night. If so, it would be difficult to manage the household jobs. The Minister also said that he would see if he could manage with a power cut during the day. With so many ifs and buts contained in the Minister’s speech, I am keeping my fingers crossed.
A candle, an oil lamp, a kerosene lantern and a gas light - all are emergency lights. Marjorie Sykes, a British citizen, who lived in Sewagram with Gandhi, used to say that the kerosene lantern is very safe to handle and never fails. Her days are gone. Now the modern households go in for the emergency lights, which are plugged in when not in use, and with the flickering of a switch, they start giving light. Of course, they are out of the power socket. The Emergency Light has two small neon tubes. Either or both of them can be used depending on the illumination you need. Last year while in USA, we got a Sanyo Emergency Light as a gift from our daughter. It works on 220 volts, and can be mounted on the wall. It is of bright red in colour. The neon tubes are made in Japan, and the light is made in Indonesia. Sanyo is a Japanese brand name. And the outfit is sold in USA. Real globalisation in the marketing and sale of products. Why not ? We are in a small world.