Jay Shree Ram friends! Here is an article about Handmade paper business in Bharat. These are just one liners for your knowledge. Please read till the end.
Handmade paper from Bharat: Kagaj:
Kagaj: Till 2002
ð Till 2002 the KVIC supports some 450 handmade paper enterprises all over India.
ð Most of the states have their own Khadi Village and Industry Board that backs up the kagji in their region.
ð Later Around Daulatabad 1800 once royal fortress became famous for its fabulous afshani paper, paper mottled with small pieces of gold leaf. In 1995 the mill of Daulatabad was close down.
o Note: Till 1995 there was rule of Indian National Congress (INC) in State Assembly of Maharashtra. In 1995 BJP and ShivSena alliance came into rule the Maharashtra then again from 1999 to 2014 it was rule of INC again.
o Note: Since 1947 to 1977 it was rule of INC, then from 1977 to 1980 Janata Party ruled the nation. From 1980 to 1989 it was again INC. For 1989 to 1990 – few months it was Janata Dal. 1990 to 1991 It was Samajwadi Janata Dal. 1991 to 1996 again INC was ruling the nation. 1996 to 1998 the PM was of Janata Dal (united front). Since 1998 to 2004 BJP was ruling India. 2004 to 2014 it was again INC and then till the date BJP is in Centre.
o In 1990’s INC, BJP and Shivsena ruled Maharashtra and in centre the government was not stable.
ð Throughout the country several ashram, spiritual communities of Hindus organised around the ideas of a particular Indian philosophy, are involved in papermaking by hand. The most famous one is the Sri Aurobindo Ashram near Pondicherry in northern Tamil Nadu. Since 1959 their objective is to manufacture high quality paper from the best available raw materials. Like other modern papermakers they use waste textile from the hosiery factories. These 100% cotton rags are sorted, dusted and cut into strips before boiling with caustic soda. After mild bleach the pulp is prepared in the Hollander beater. Very often the pulp is mottled in the vat with several substances of vegetable nature like rice or wheat straw, grass, flowers, petals, husks, jute waste, wool waste, tea dust.
ð Several other kagji mix pieces of leaf metal into their pulp or even artificial silk, rayon, which is entirely cellulose based. Lately more and more block printed and even screen printed papers find their way to the foreign markets.
ð In Pudukuppam, a coastal fishermen village not far from Pondicherry, researches were looking for ways to control endemic malaria. It appeared that the algae growing in the saline water lagoons were used as a breeding ground for the vectors of the malaria parasite. Removal of the algae seemed to be the only practical solution. As the researchers were looking for an economic utility of the algae they heard of the papermaking project in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Not long after algae mottled paper came onto the market. Now the villagers collect and sell the algae to the ashram. Thus a total elimination of malaria was demonstrated exclusively through community action. This project of Sri Aurobindo Ashram is nice example of Gandhian Economic Principles.
ð The paper research and education centres at Pune, Sanganer and Kalpi are very successful. All of them are supported by their state Khadi Village and Industry Board.
ð The centre at Wardha is backed up by the Centre of Science for Villages, an institute founded in 1977.
ð Presently the main raw material is industrial waste. The use of cotton textile waste from hosiery and tailor shops, and jute waste from the carpet factories started early this century.
ð Mixing the pulp with waste paper is still done today. It has a long tradition and goes back to Mugal times, but gunny bags, hemp ropes and nets are out of use already a long time.
ð The use of agro waste was introduced in Gandhian times, some 60 years ago, and the search goes on until this day.
ð Strangely enough the utilisation of alternative fibres like bamboo, eucalyptus and several grasses is confined to the large-scale paper industry.
ð Mottling the paper with all kinds of vegetable material is a very recent innovation.
ð In the old days the kagji used a laid mould, a chapri, made of grass or bamboo. Today it is rarely seen in a paper mill.
ð In Gandhi's era Joshi in Pune developed a unique lifting system. It is still widely used today and even found its way to other continents. With a foot pedal the vatman lifts the heavy mould which is suspended from an iron frame to facilitate the lifting. The contraction is hooked up to simple counter weights.
ð The KVIC introduced new additives for the pulp which in former times were not available. Now internal sizes (rosin/alum), whiteners and chemical colorants are added. Bleaching powders are employed even when it is not always necessary.
Reference: Teygeler, R (1998) Handmade paper from India. Kagaj: yesterday, today and tomorrow in: IPH Congress Book, 1998(12). International Association of Paper historians, Marburg, 2002: pp.185-194.
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