And Now 'Sampradhaya' Cowdung Lighting Lamps

Sharana Basava Patil at Raichur district headquarters in Karnataka has come out with a novel idea of making Cowdung Deepa(lamps) with the brand name 'Sampradhaya', yet to be registered.

Biodegradable and Organic: The makers claim it to be biodegradable and organic. Sharana Basava Patil, who is the brain behind the unusual concept asserts-As these lighting lamps are made out of cow dung, they are natural, organic and biodegradable.

100 per cent Eco-friendly: He also stresses-These cow dung deepas not only promote oxygen generation but also remove the pollution caused due to carbon and toxic air present in the environment.

Zero waste: Sharana Basava Patil makes a point on the significance of lamps made out of cow dung by informing-The speciality of these natural cow dung lamps is that the leftover ashes can be used as an organic manure for plants and improve the soil fertility as well.

Sharana Basava Patil

Upliftment of Rural women and farmers: Thanks to the concept of making lighting lamps with the help of cow dung material, the encouragement of the same by the general public and the government agencies will go a long way in the upliftment of rural women and farmers. In a way, boosting the production of such lamps will also help in the upliftment of the rural women folk and the peasants, says Sharana Basava Patil.

Pollution free: He reiterates-These lighting lamps are not only a hundred per cent natural, organic and biodegradable but tailor-made for the purposes like Navaratri, Deepavali, Karthikamasa Deepotsava etc. It has neither charcoal nor toxic chemical elements, hence absolutely pollution free. On the other hand, it not only promotes oxygen generation but also mitigates pollution due to the carbon compounds present in the environment.

From 100-200 boxes: Sharana Basava Patil got inspired of venturing into making cow dung lamps by seeing many videos on youtube channels. He started making them with the help of his mother and father in a small way, last year. They could make 100 normal, cotton boxes with each of them possessing six diyas, 60 ml Gingelly oil and six cotton wix. Encouraged by the response evinced from his friends, this time the family has come out with 200 boxes. But this time the lamps have been packed in typical corporate style, he informs with happiness.

Danta Manjan, Dhoopa...: It's not that he is done only with the cow dung lamps alone. In fact, he has also experimented with making Danta Manjan, tooth powder, Dhoopa without using Bamboo sticks, Phenol, utensils washing powder and mosquito repellant, all using cow dung. He tells that Bamboo sticks are not made used for the Dhoopa, as it has been found that regular usage of such sticks are leading to different types of Cancer. However, Shikakai, traditional tree produce used for head baths and lemon extracts are deployed in making utensils washing Bhasma, he explains.

Aim to create awareness: Sharana Basava Patil laments at the apathy of villagers in rearing the native breed cows-'They only keep complaining that the milk yield is negligible and once they stop lactating it will be difficult to look after them'. But he has made it a practice to create awareness among the rural people by highlighting the significance of cow dung and Gomutra and the several ways they can be tried for revenue generation.

-Manohar Yadavatti