Getting started

Initially, the workplace of 835sq yards was identified in Rohtak (Haryana) followed by a bigger manufacturing plant in Bikaner (Rajasthan). Both the places are readied with all the manufacturing, packaging, storing and supplying facilities. Today, 15 to 20 tonnes of per day production is happening. Both the plants are self-financed by friends and relatives. No capital is borrowed from banks instead it is heavily dependent on angel investors. The arrangement of cow dung was done by taking it directly from cow shelters (goshalas) and giving them the price way higher than the market price. The ideology behind price rise is to attach greater importance to its existence in the society. The gypsum sand purchased from the land of abundance - Rajasthan. The lemon extract and Guar gum are majorly taken from Rajasthan. Initially, the project started at a small scale but a rise in demand has forced them to operate on a larger scale. All the key ingredients are refined minutely and then mixed in a certain proportion to get exact results. The enthusiastic team of 40 members working day and night in order to give sustainable solutions to the society considering the gravity of bio-diversity. Today, the product is distributed all over the country excluding the disturbed state of Jammu & Kashmir. Different modes particularly social mediums like Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter are used to advertise and market the product. Word of mouth has increased the sales tremendously. The vision of protecting cows and improving their utility by making sustainable products has doubled the energy of people working in this venture.

The Value proposition

Vedic plaster production uses minimal electricity only for grinding purpose compared to cement plaster. All the factors of production are natural resources no chemicals are mixed by making its eco-friendly product. The essence of this product lies in the properties offered by cow dung. The unmatchable properties like a natural air purifier, thermal insulator creating a temperature difference of 10-15 degrees, pollution control measure, radiation proof quality, etc. all difficult to find in other resources. The 20-22% of cow dung in an entire mixture contributes immensely to the plaster production. Hence, making it valuable both socially and economically. Other benefits like good for health, the decline in water consumption, reduces dampness, the source of positive energy, indirectly increasing the utility of cows, raising economic value of cows, protection against harmful insects, etc. increases the value proposition of the product. The other components like gypsum, guar gum, lemons are witnessing an increase in demand due to industrial use. The most significant benefits, in this case, are farmers who are never seeing before like demand for guar gum (Cluster beans). The additional property of plaster is that the coat of Vedic plaster is sufficed to decorate the house no further use of paint is required. The cement plaster involves four stages starting with plasterings, wall protection putty, wall smother, i.e., primer and then paint. But Vedic plaster needs only one coat of plaster on walls. To add color natural ingredients and fruits and vegetable extracts are used. Economically, the difference of Rs. 13 can be noted to apply plaster on 1 square foot area. The results are incomparable because of the harmful effects of cement challenging to overlook. The lack of alternativeness of cement plaster and paints has left people to compromise with their health. But with the stepping of Vedic plaster in the market offering incredible benefits can completely change the outlook of the people towards the plaster and paint industry. The socio-economic impact and inclusion of bio-diversity result in sustainable solutions. The sustainable solutions are a future-ready solution of problems offered by sustainable entrepreneurs. Therefore, the innovation of Dr. Shiv Darshan Malik is one big solution to the global issues like climatic change – global warming, food insecurity, environmental problems, health issues, etc.

Challenges faced

The saddest barrier or obstacle posed by the mindset of the people towards cow dung. The usage of cow dung in a product for them is not up to their standard. The humongous challenge was to change the thinking toward cows. Next, lack of institutional support from concerned authorities placed in ministry. The time spent in gaining the trademark for the product. Until then the fear and uncertain climate have occurred overall. The more significant challenge was to carve a niche for the product. Convincing distributors, training team members on how to develop skill sets of labors – the vital link in this process showed expected challenges. Generating awareness and building trust towards the product once again made the path trying to tread. Though, the way was challenging but not impossible to achieve because eventually, the sustainability criteria played for the product. To operate at a large scale and meeting consumer demand on time was challenging initially but now lessons are learned through experience.

The future

The target is to apply the product on the walls of hospitals, mental asylums and other places where people get treatment, so that, they can get the real benefits of the cow dung properties. The product should be globally launched in order to curb pollution and reduce global issue. The other economies can make most out of these innovations. Further experiments are to be conducted in this direction for meeting problems with sustainable solutions.