People used to see cow dung only as waste. But, not now. Gaukriti founder Bhimraj Sharma says this with confidence. Today his firm is making more than 70 different types of products from cow dung. These range from plain paper to wedding cards, idols and gulal.
Highlights
Gaukriti is making paper from cow dung, cow urine and cotton waste
Wet cow dung is bought from farmers at the rate of Rs 10 per kg.
Today Gaukriti is making more than 70 different types of products.
New Delhi:Bhimraj Sharma has chosen a different model of business. This model connects villages to the big cities of the country. Bhimraj makes paper from cow dung. Due to this, the need to cut trees for paper ends. Bhimraj gives a fabulous price for cow dung to the farmers. Wet cow dung is bought from them at the rate of Rs.10 per kg. 3,000 sheets of paper are produced daily from this cow dung. It is delivered in metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad. More than 70 different products like wedding cards, pencils, diaries, calendars, rakhi, masks are made from cow dung. People never believed that paper could also be made from cow dung. When Bhimraj talked about this, people even called him insane. But, He believed that it could be done. He had old experience in paper printing. He kept on experimenting. In the end he got success. He made excellent quality paper from cow dung itself. After this he patented this technology. Today, through his firm 'Gaukriti', he has linked cow dung with the value chain. Many states are standing with open arms to support their model. He easily does a business of Rs 1 crore from his venture. Today he is not, money is running after him. He is also getting full support of his daughter Jagruti in taking the business forward. Bhimraj Sharma from Navbharattimes.com had a special conversation about his journey. Through this, he has linked cow dung with the value chain. Many states are standing with open arms to support their model. He easily does a business of Rs 1 crore from his venture. Today he is not, money is running after him. He is also getting full support of his daughter Jagruti in taking the business forward. Bhimraj Sharma from Navbharattimes.com had a special conversation about his journey. Through this, he has linked cow dung with the value chain. Many states are standing with open arms to support their model. He easily does a business of Rs 1 crore from his venture. Today he is not, money is running after him. He is also getting full support of his daughter Jagruti in taking the business forward. Bhimraj Sharma from Navbharattimes.com had a special conversation about his journey.
Bhimraj is a resident of Jaipur. His mission was to serve the cow. It was with this spirit that he started Gaukriti in 2017. Bhimraj Sharma had heard that paper can be made from elephant dung. That's when he thought why not make paper from cow dung. Bhimraj says, 'When I initially talked about it, no one believed it. People started saying that I have gone mad. But, these things didn't bother me a bit.'
Bhimraj had old experience of paper printing. He was sure that it could be done. First he tried to borrow some money from friends and relatives. When it was not found, he threw his entire accumulated capital into it. He was saving this money for his daughter's marriage and his retirement. He laid the foundation of Gaukriti in 2017 by investing several lakhs. He started making paper from cow dung. Then got this technology patented.
Disappointment in the beginning...
The first sheet of paper made from cow dung was quite disappointing. It was rough. There was no greasiness. People made fun of him even then. Then he did more in-depth research. For the next few months, he just kept experimenting on this paper technology. Eventually he got success. He prepared excellent quality paper from cow dung, cow urine and cotton waste. It is 100 percent natural.
Bhimraj told that no paper can be made without cutting trees. But, Gaukriti's paper is completely waste based. Only cow dung, cow urine and cotton waste are used in this. Today Gaukriti does not just make paper from cow dung. With its help, more than 70 different types of products are manufactured. There is a demand for these products in the country and abroad. These products include wedding cards, bangle bags, diaries, calendars, Holi puja kits, rakhis, etc.
Wet cow dung is bought for Rs.10 per kg.
Bhimraj has been in the business of paper printing for 20 years. He is the Vice President of Rajasthan Offset Printers Association. He was deeply saddened to see the declining standard of care for the cows. He created the idea of using cow dung positively. Bhimraj was confident that through this the rural economy could be linked to the global economy. He has a turnover of more than one crore rupees. He buys wet cow dung from farmers for Rs.10 a kg. Bhimraj claimed that hardly anyone pays farmers such a high price for this cow dung. Farmers have also benefited a lot from this. Cow dung is no longer seen as waste. It has become very useful.
Gaukriti
During Kovid, Bhimraj also made masks made of cow dung. He distributed these free of cost during the pandemic. Similarly, in Holi, they prepared gulal made of cow dung. 70 percent cow dung, 30 percent arrowroot and perfume were used to make it. He says that before 2016 no one even talked about cow dung. But now there has been a change in this thinking. Gaukriti is making 70 different types of products only from cow dung.
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Wedding cards made of cow dung are a hit...
Bhimraj specifically mentioned the wedding cards made of cow dung. He said that usually they are thrown away. But, 12 types of seeds are used in making Gaukriti's wedding cards. They are inserted according to 12 different months. When people throw these cards, they grow into plants. The reason for this is that there is already cow dung in the card which acts as a fertilizer. Due to this the seed germinates easily. There is a huge demand for such cards. All the things used in the printing of cards are biodegradable. There is no risk of harm to the environment due to this.
Gaukriti Products
Bhimraj's daughter Jagruti is also now helping him in his business. Jagruti holds a degree in Bachelor of Visual Art. She gives many ideas to Papa to increase the range of the product. Ganesh-Lakshmi idols made of cow dung have been very much liked. They have a lot of demand among the people. Sometime back, the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan had also highly appreciated the efforts of Gaukriti. He had said that this is an example that cowsheds can run and stand on their own.
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