After promoting use of cow urine and cow dung-based products such as hand sanitisers and face masks to check spread of Covid-19, Diwali this year may see lamps (diyas) candles, dhoop, agarbatti (incense stick), havan materials, shubh-labh, swastik, samrani, hardboard, wall-piece, paper-weight, havan materials, idols of Ganesha and Lakshmiji made out of cow dung, a virtual end of Chinese products. The Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog (RKA) has planned to produce 33 crore eco-friendly earthen lamps (diyas) made from cow dung this festive season, in order to counter Chinese products. It is estimated that about 192 crore kg of cow dung per day is produced in India at present.
“The upcoming campaign to use ‘diyas’, made from cow dung, will will counter the Chinese made lamps and thus boost the ‘make in India’ concept of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s atma nirbhar bharat abhiyan. The Aayog is targeting production of 33 crore eco-friendly cow dung made diyas this diwali. There is huge untapped potential in cow dung-based products,” RKA chairman Vallabh Bhai Kathiriya said.
“More than 15 States including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, have agreed to be part of the campaign. About three lakh diyas will be lit in the holy city of Ayodhya, while one lakh diyas in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, he said.
“The manufacturing has started. A group of students from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi has come out with an online platform for marketing these cow dung made diyas and have already placed an order for nearly one crore diyas,” Kathiriya said. Under the campaign, all gaushalas in the country are passing economic uncertainty because of Covid-19. Making diyas and other products like nameplates and idols using cow dung will help them to be self-reliant.
The Aayog said though it is not directly involved in production of cow dung-based products, it is facilitating and offering training to self help groups and entreprenuers seeking to set up business. According to officials, the process of making these diyas is quite interesting. First, the Gobar is dried and powdered in a machine, following which compostable adhesives like tamarind seed paste is added for binding.
Then, dried herbs are added for fragrance and preservation, the dough is kneaded and placed into diya-shaped moulds. Once dried, the diyas are painted with all-natural colours and ornate motifs. Made out of cow dung, dried and powdered herbs and tamarind seed
paste – the cow dung diyas are 100 per cent eco-friendly and can last a long time. Even if they are discarded after the festivities, they will decompose in a jiffy, leaving no residue. The cost of such diyas are between `4 to `20 depending on their size and decorative intricacy.
Besides diyas, the Aayog is promoting production of other products made from dung, urine and milk such as anti-radiation chip, paper weights, Ganesha and Lakshmi idols, incense sticks, candles among others.
According to Kathirya, many non-governmental organisations are coming forward to supply moulds for making these diyas to farmers and even distributing pre-mix materials used in making these diyas to them.
“Apart from generating business opportunities to thousands of cow-based entrepreneurs / farmers/ women entrepreneurs, the use of cow-dung products will lead to cleaner and healthier enviornment. It will boost up in making cow shelters atma nirbhar too,” he added.