Bhopal: Amid the debate on cow vigilantism, three youths have come up with a unique start-up in Bhopal that uses cow dung to prepare artefacts and other products.
“We were upset with the growing disputes on cow slaughtering and decided to do something rather than engaging in futile debates,” said Prabhatmani Tripathi, a native of Gorakhpur, who is one of the founders of the start-up.
Tripathi is an MTech in Computer Networking. The other partners are Anuj Rathore, an MBA graduate, and Kamlakant Dwivedi, who has a Bachelor Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
After carrying out a survey and doing research, they found that cows that are rendered disabled after some disease or accident or stop offering milk are butchered, so they decided to use their dung to keep their utility intact.
“We also referred to the preaching of Sanatan dharma which holds cow dung in high regard and signifies cleanliness and religious importance,” Tripathi claimed.
They source cow dung from gaushalas and at times, directly from cattle owners. The artefacts are prepared in the workshop in Bhopal’s Dwarkanagar area.
Dwivedi, a native of Satna in Madhya Pradesh, said that they only use dung from desi cows. Starting from handicrafts, decorative objects, wall clocks, pen stands and flower pots the company offers a wide range.
The preparation of the materials takes as much as a month in which the dung is mixed with water and kept in moulds to get for getting the desired shape. Finally, the products are baked in furnace for infusing rigidness and a coating of varnish is applied for shine and colour.
Twenty-five people are employed in the project. The owners plan to soon go online for a wider reach.
“We aim to present a cow conservation model in which non-milching cows could be even considered commercially viable and not required to be butchered,” said Tripathi.
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