THE TEAM
We are family. And some of us are actually related.
Mahesh
Mahesh is the founder, innovator, and general idealist at Elrhino. After retiring at 60, he started working in the forest to tackle the problems of deforestation, poaching, and the eroding livelihood of the locals. This led to the conception of Elrhino Dung Paper.
Mahesh has no notion of impossibility. Despite having no prior training in machinery or running an enterprise, he realised his dream through sheer determination.He learned paper-making, designed and built the equipment, and started to teach this skill to local artisans. His incredible energy and ability to innovate inspires everyone around him.
Nisha
Nisha is the business head and dream seller at Elrhino. She's also Mahesh's daughter and deeply inspired
by him. She has three children - two human and one canine, and is seriously committed to leaving them a world
worth living in.
With close to two decades of qualitative research behind her, Nisha understands that everybody cares and that, given a chance, most of us would like to contribute positively to a sustainable planet.
She's banking on this insight to trigger positive action for the forest and its animals.
The Team
Our team members are from the indigenous tribes of the region. Most of them have no access to the cash economy. The more fortunate among them own small patches of agricultural land where they grow their own food; these crops are wiped out year after year under the onslaught of relentless floods in the region of Assam.
Before their relationship with us, most of our artisans had no access to income security. What they did have in abundance, however, was an inherent skill set based on the indigenous crafts of the region. We work with these potential master craftsmen and women, helping them hone these skills and attain financial self sufficiency. All our people, men and women, are first-generation salary earners and the principle breadwinners in their families.
We are committed to creating rural livelihoods and a skilled workforce within communities such as these, in some of the most remote regions of India