Meet Swades Movie Real-Life Couple Aravinda Pillalamarri And Ravi Kuchimanchi

We have all enjoyed the 2004 film ‘Swades’, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Gayatri Joshi as the lead cast. This movie is remarkable because of the producer Ashutosh Gowariker's creative vision, Shahrukh Khan's performance, and A.R. Rahman's soundtrack. The songs ‘Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera’ and ‘Yun Hi Chala Chal’ evoke strong feelings in each one of us. However, did you know that Aravinda Pillalamarri and Ravi Kuchimanchi's real-life story was the inspiration for the ‘Swades’ movie?

The life of an NRI couple served as inspiration for the film. This NRI couple, Aravinda Pillalamarri and Ravi Kuchimanchi, returned to India and helped Bilgaon, a small village in Maharashtra, by utilising the nearby waterfall to create energy.

Ravi Kuchimanchi

Ravi has always had a strong commitment to India's grassroots development. While pursuing his PhD in Physics at the University of Maryland in the United States, he founded the AID (Association for India's Development) in 1991. To give you a brief overview of his endeavour, AID is a secular charity organisation with headquarters in the United States that promotes sustainable, equitable, and development.

Aravinda Pillalamarri

Aravinda was raised in the US and started working with AID (Association for India's Development) in 1995. It was also reported that Ravi and Aravinda first connected at AID, where they later began collaborating on projects aimed at improving India. Since then, she has worked alongside the organisation on a range of projects, advocating for a participatory development model that places social justice at the core of all activities aimed at advancing society.

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Their Story - The Bilgaon Project

Ravi has an eternal desire for doing charitable work and paving the road for a better India. For this reason, he founded AID, where he also met his wife. Together, they discovered Bilgaon, a small Maharashtrian village that had been without power for a very long time.

The couple found a waterfall close to the community that was simple to use to produce power. The project started in 2002, and the people of Bilgaon eventually saw progress after overcoming various challenges. The effort had involved the entire town, and their collective success was clear.

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How The Bilgaon Project Helped The Village People

This project helped the village people a lot. With the arrival of electricity, people could now conveniently draw water for agriculture and consumption. It also supported the oil-extraction gear. Also, the school could now allow students to study in the evening and at night because of the working bulbs. (Expert Approved Ways Of Being Efficient While Studying From Home)

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