Light up with Pure Cow Dung Lamps

An age-old ingredient, pure, natural disinfectant and pest repellant- Cow Dung. It will be an opportunity to incorporate a traditional ingredient into our modern lifestyle. In the form of diyas/ Indian traditional lamps, enlightenment will be an easier task, because some of these diyas come loaded with ghee, which further a relief not to spend hours filling them with oil or ghee.

The diyas have been manufactured by Mumbai based entrepreneur under his marketing platform ‘The Zero Brand Zone’. The technology combines ‘panchkaviyam’- the traditional mix of cow dung, cow urine, milk, curd and ghee- with a natural binding mixture of cow butter, neem, peepal and lemon tree leaves. The mixture is put under pressure and heated to 100 degrees to produce lamps.

Today most of the clay lamps stocked in stores are not made of pure clay, but fortified using chemical additives in order to extend their shelf life, so Cow dung lamps are a better alternative.

• Trials are being done with other natural binding agents and rice flour.
• Promotion is also being done of cow dung diyas to goshalas, farmers and individuals taking care of abandoned cows.
• It will give farmers a solution to forced selling of those cows for slaughter who once stop milking.
• Village people will find employment in creating these lamps.
• Cow dung acts as an earth fuel- Biogas produced from cow dung is rich in methane and a renewable source of electricity. It is also a cooking fuel, very effective for slow cooking.
• Traditional cow dung in India is been used as a disinfectant to clean homes.
• It is also acts as a powerful herbicide and manure for plants.
• Besides being eco-friendly, the diyas provide additional revenue for farmers.
• Stray animals will no longer be stray, if money making technique is popularized.

This is surely a welcome step towards reviving a tradition that’s also easy on the environment.

Matter Referenced:  Times of India, Ahmedabad, Monday, 29th October, 2018.

By: Dr. Bhawana Asnani.

Happy to see Reviews, Additions, Suggestions and Comments, further.