Courtesy: Halonix Safer City
In Delhi, a city shamed by repeated rape and sexual assault, the dark night rises. It is a city of many shady trees but few working streetlights.
Making Delhi safe for women is a battle cry that has gathered volume and tempo since the fatal gang-rape of a 23-year-old medical student in December 2012. Out of the insistent chorus demanding a safer city comes a campaign from lighting brand Halonix that has delivered actual results.
Halonix identified part of the problem - unlit streets - and hit upon a simple solution - converting billboards advertising the brand into street lights. By night, the lights of the billboard are turned away from the advertising message and towards the road.
They began with a
Facebook page and a poll asking Delhi to nominate streets or neighbourhoods that needed lighting up. Vasant Kunj in South Delhi was the first to receive a Halonix light-hoarding and other locations followed.
Managing Director Rakesh Zutshi said in a statement: "We at Halonix believe that brands need to have a conscience and should continuously attempt to make the world a better place. Our brand idea - The Right Light - is not limited to the fact that we pursue excellence in our products and their quality. It represents a broader view of impacting life and society positively through the use of light."
Halonix has also extended the campaign beyond the capital, lighting up streets in Chennai, Mohali, Jalandhar, Kanpur, Mathura, Allahabad, Lucknow and Thiruvananthapuram.
Watch how Halonix lit up Delhi: