We’re honored to be featured in Setopati’s latest article, which explores how hemp, championed by Dhiraj Kumar Shah and Shah Hemp Inno‑Ventures, can drive economic and environmental change in Nepal.
Link to the full article: 👉 https://www.setopati.com/opinion/357051
A rough translation for the international crowd.
Title: An Earthquake Changed the Path of a Janakpur’s Youth who was established in Europe.
About three months ago, I visited Shermathang village in Helambu Rural Municipality with some colleagues. We stayed at the “Yangrima Eco-Lodge” in Shermathang.
The lodge felt different. The walls didn’t seem like they were made of cement. Knocking on them produced a sound like hitting wood. Even when the outside temperature dropped to 1°C, the rooms didn’t feel as cold as expected.
Curious, I asked the lodge operator about its construction. That’s when I learned the lodge was made from hemp (the stalk/fiber of cannabis or hemp plants).
Dhiraj Kumar Shah from Janakpur had contributed to building this lodge.
When I visited Janakpur for work, I contacted Dhiraj. I visited his “Made in Janakpur” showroom north of Janaki Temple to see hemp-based products and also toured his factory.
After observing his work and speaking with him, I realized Dhiraj wasn’t just working with hemp. He was reimagining education, entrepreneurship, and local knowledge systems through innovative experiments.
Here is the story of Dhiraj, who is quietly forging an alternative path without complaining.
The Invisible Shackles Realized After Seeing the World
Academically, Dhiraj was an average student until Class 12. He tried hard to study and score well, but he was labeled a weak student.
He pursued a bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering at Assumption University in Thailand. There, he met three inspiring professors and went from an average student to an outstanding one.
For his master’s in Communication Engineering, he studied at RWTH Aachen University in Germany. After graduating, he began research at Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon, Portugal.
During his journey from Thailand to Portugal, he met people from various countries, worked 16-hour days, and engaged in high-level tech projects. In Germany, he participated in “highly confidential” research for telecommunications companies, which he couldn’t disclose. While the world was using 3G, he was researching 4G development.
In Portugal, he worked on a Walt Disney Company research project involving 3D video coding without glasses. This technology used at least 180 cameras to create films where the scene changed depending on the viewer’s position.
Reflecting on these experiences, Dhiraj says, “I saw how work happens at the top level, how the world operates, and how new technologies emerge. My mind opened, and I began understanding the world’s systems.”
He realized that most people are trapped in “invisible shackles,” bound by systems created by others, unaware of their constraints. While working, he began questioning: Why is our society structured this way? Who created these systems? Why do we follow certain systems? Why the 9-to-5 job?
Through extensive study and research, he concluded that from age 18 to 65, people’s active years are controlled by others. Few pursue what they truly want and earn from it. Most are trapped in jobs and responsibilities, working for others’ institutions without knowing their environmental impact.
He observed that some multinational companies use chemicals in products that harm human health. “People should support companies that positively impact society and the environment,” he says. “But the powerful create systems to benefit themselves. For example, pharmaceutical companies write medical textbooks, and cement or steel manufacturers write civil engineering books. Civil engineering focuses only on cement and concrete, and medicine emphasizes chemical drugs over natural remedies. This creates an imbalance.”
He felt that our routines, interests, and psychology are controlled by others—what we eat, watch, hear, or study is beyond our control. Global university curriculums dominate, and we’re trapped in a system where much is wrong in education, health, justice, and governance.
This realization led to a moral dilemma: he was contributing to the very system he questioned. “What’s the real impact of my research?” he asked. “I was a tiny part of Disney’s pyramid, with a negligible effect on the world.”
An Earthquake in Nepal and His Life
In April 2015, while grappling with these questions in Portugal, Nepal was struck by a massive earthquake. “An earthquake hit Nepal and my life simultaneously,” he says. “I decided to return to my country and work for my community.”
After 15 years abroad, his family questioned why he would leave a settled life and what he would do in Nepal. He told his father, “I want to work with hemp. I see potential and opportunities in it.”
The Potential of Hemp
When asked how an electronics and telecommunications engineer turned to hemp, Dhiraj replied, “While researching societal problems, hemp kept emerging as a solution.”
He shared the story of hemp:
- Most modern industries were established after banning hemp. During World War II, the U.S. government released a 1942 documentary, Hemp for Victory, encouraging citizens to grow hemp to support the war effort. Hemp fiber was used for ship ropes, and it was a major cash crop, even accepted for tax payments.
- With the discovery of petroleum, industries shifted to plastics, which didn’t require natural processes like growing hemp.
- Industrialization changed the world. Earlier, products like plastics were durable due to greater honesty. Later, lower-quality products were made to ensure repeated purchases.
- Henry Ford once built a hemp-based car seven times stronger than steel, but hemp bans forced industries to use steel.
Dhiraj explains, “Before World War I, people lived naturally. Later, greed and corruption changed things. Natural solutions were replaced by chemical ones.”
He found over 50,000 uses of hemp online. “Even achieving 500 or 1,000 of those would be a huge accomplishment,” he says. In Nepal, hemp is abundant but underutilized, often wasted or burned. With modern technology, it’s easier to innovate with hemp than in the past.
He believes humans need the entire plant world, not just hemp, and that nature offers solutions to many problems. “We can leave the chemical world and create a natural one,” he says.
Inspired by this, after the 2015 earthquake, Dhiraj spent three months in Portugal planning. In August, he returned to Nepal, and in September, he and his wife, Nivedita Bansal, registered their company, Shah Hemp Inno-Ventures.
During India’s blockade of Nepal, which caused a petroleum shortage, Dhiraj saw the problems he’d researched unfold before his eyes.
Hemp in Construction
Post-earthquake, Nepal focused on reconstruction. Dhiraj’s team met constructors to promote hemp in building, but global funding priorities sidelined their efforts. “It was a national crisis, so we stepped back,” he says. “Instead, we focused on long-term needs, building homes for those without proper housing.”
Using hemp alongside traditional materials like mud, straw, and bamboo, they built stronger homes. In Dhanusha, they constructed homes for impoverished families recommended by local wards, with the condition that homeowners manage labor and resources.
Some NGOs built concrete homes for the poor, but Dhiraj noticed people rented them out and lived in shacks, as concrete homes were too cold in winter and hot in summer. His team strengthened existing homes with hemp and local materials, ensuring ownership and sustainability.
With help from German friends, they executed this project. Later, they aimed to build larger hemp-based structures. In February 2016, they started with Janakpur Trauma Hospital, inviting Steve Allin, founder of the International Hemp Building Association, to Nepal. Using local soil and hemp from Rukum, they built two walls, importing lime from India due to poor local quality.
This led to more projects: Montessori classrooms in Lahara, Siraha, a school building in Kanchanpur, Saptari, and the Yangrima Eco-Lodge in Shermathang, Helambu, at 2,700 meters—a global first for hemp construction at such altitude. The lodge’s warmth in cold weather inspired the community, and trained locals became skilled masons for similar projects.
They also insulated five hostels in Sherpa villages along Langtang’s trekking route.
Beyond Buildings: Hemp Products
A friend once asked Dhiraj to supply hemp for bags. Though he hadn’t considered hemp beyond construction, he provided the material, but the friend couldn’t produce the bags. To fulfill the order, Dhiraj set up a small factory in Lohana village, 5 km from Janakpur, where skilled artisans traditionally made bags. These artisans crafted hemp bags, and their creativity led to new designs, including women’s bags with patterns.
Today, they produce over 200 hemp products, including bags, paper, oil, soap, and tool-specific bags for drills, grinders, and laptops. Before COVID, they exported to the U.S. and Europe for conferences. Post-COVID, with fewer in-person events, they focused on Nepal’s market, producing durable school bags to replace low-quality, polluting ones.
Made in Janakpur
Dhiraj showcases his products at the “Made in Janakpur” showroom near Janaki Temple. “We’re doing a lot locally, addressing problems sustainably,” he says. “We challenge ourselves to use Janakpur’s resources or source from Nepal, avoiding imports.”
Historically, hemp paper lasted 400–500 years. Dhiraj revived this, producing hemp paper for Mithila artists. Their paintings on hemp paper were vibrant, lasting at least 100 years. “We experienced what science says about hemp paper,” he says.
They promote Mithila art, moving it from walls to paper, fabric, and bags. “Like African tribal art, Mithila art is ancient and must be preserved,” he says. Unlike commercial ventures, they support artists with creative spaces and economic opportunities.
They’re researching to produce higher-quality fabric than what’s available in Nepal, collaborating with existing factories rather than competing. “We focus our energy on developing what doesn’t exist here,” he says.
Dream of Working in Education
Inspired by the American film Accepted, where dropouts create their own college, Dhiraj plans a learning center. “Children play with toys, but toys should evolve. Life itself should be play. Without competition or exams, children can express creativity and become experts in what they love,” he says.
He’s also creating a learning lab for those labeled failures by society. On Nepal’s education system, he says, “Theoretical exams carry more weight than practical ones. This must reverse. Practice develops hands, vision, memory, and nerves.”
He believes children should be asked, “What problems do you want to solve?” not “What do you want to be?” Education should include life’s philosophy, taught by capable individuals.
Working with the Government
On working with the government, Dhiraj says, “I don’t rely on the government. Dependence leads to disappointment. People expect the government to do everything, but it’s like a person with its own problems. It can only make and enforce laws.”
He adds, “The government doesn’t always need to help individuals; it needs help too. If it needs support, we’re ready.”
Views on Hemp Policy
Dhiraj notes misconceptions about hemp. “Hemp refers to plants whose outer parts can be used for fiber, like jute, flax, or cannabis. Cannabis is called hemp because its fiber is strongest, making ‘hemp’ synonymous with cannabis.”
In 1961, the UN’s Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs banned cannabis globally. Europe later developed “industrial hemp” with low THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive compound). Before this, cannabis was used in over 100 U.S. medicines.
“Many countries grow industrial hemp, but Nepal hasn’t legalized its cultivation,” he says. “If laws allow only low-THC cannabis, our natural species could disappear.”
He’s optimistic about current progress but uncertain about future laws.
On Youth Migration
When asked about youth leaving Nepal, Dhiraj advises, “Go abroad if you’re capable—it doesn’t matter where you are if you’re skilled.” With a sigh, he adds, “People are leaving villages for cities, countries for abroad. I’m doing the opposite. From a village near the market, I want to move deeper into a village.”
