Turning Waste Into Paper

Paper as a material for religious scripts, office decrees, courts and administrative work became the norm between the 10th and 13th centuries.

Kagaz, the Persian word for paper, was adopted as the word for paper in India. Small hamlets called kagzipura, paper town, were established, one of which survives by the same name in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, where a Muslim community continues to make paper by hand even in 2018.

Handmade paper manufacturing establishments of different sizes are located in Sanganer, the biggest paper making centre in western India.

Salim Kagzi

Salim Kagzi, a 100% export-directed unit carrying on a family tradition that dates back to the end of the 16th century has a fascinating link to Mahatma Gandhi. By the middle of the 19th century kagzi craft was dying because of imports of British factory-made paper.

In 1938 Janab Allah Bux, a master paper craftsman, met Gandhi in despair. His son Salim, who now runs the unit, tells of how Gandhi swore henceforth to use only handmade paper and promoted it, along with his father and his work,at every opportunity. His son lovingly refers to him even now as Bapu, father, the affectionate name given to Gandhi by the country.

Today the family business is both flourishing and highly-respected as leaders in the trade.

It is a big leap from research to the high end of production of handmade paper at a vast factory in Sanganer, on the outskirts of Jaipur city. This highly respected and well-established family-run enterprise called Salim Kagzi makes high-end paper exclusively for export.

A building that looks more like a college campus shows its size and success, with its four sides encompassing a large garden. Here, hundreds of sacks bursting with hosiery rags await pulping.

From trying to save a dying skill, the family now runs a multi-million-rupee
establishment.

Hosiery rags are put through a trough of water, boiled and stirred thoroughly till they are clean and the fibres are broken down into a pulp.

Spangles, glitter, flecks of grass, or rose or marigold petals are mixed into the pulp if required to embellish its texture.

Pink colouring, flecks of grass and marigold petals have been mixed into the hosiery pulp to make sheets for gift wrapping, decorative carrier bags or invitation cards for a celebration.

The pink pulp goes through many stages as can be seen on this shop floor of the Salim Kagzi handmade paper factory.

Two persons are needed for each stage of the process.

A thin muslin cloth is layered between each sheet to keep them apart after being strained in the mesh tray immersed in the trough,

Otherwise, all handmade paper makers take pride in stating they do not use any machines at their establishment.

Handmade paper making is labour intensive and provides employment to many people. Salim Kagzi has over a thousand employees.

Many parts of the process of pulp to product produce there are carried out by local rural women who form 40% of the workforce.

Here, two women sit on the floor to remove the muslin cloth between the sheets after the paper has dried.

Women workers at the Salim Kagzi factory roll stacks of paper on trolleys to the vast drying area where lines of wire and clothing pegs are ready to be hung out to dry fully.

When the papers have dried they have to be meticulously counted.

Read more about handmade paper industry here:
-Research and Technology