Kagazi

By Tara Deshpande

Ever wonder what life would have been like without paper? No books or poetry, no miniature paintings, no letters- in short the world would have been a far less familiar place.

'Kagzi ', the ancient art of Indian Handmade Paper from the Urdu word Kagaz, for paper, deserves far more than a dusty shelf at the back of commercial paper stores in Massachusetts.  Scholars argue the advent of paper making in India. Some believe paper was produced in 4 B.C even before the Chinese, others insist the technology came to the country with the invasions of Northern India by the Mogul Mahmud Ghazni in 997 A.D.  Indians in 3 B.C wrote on linen cloth that was closely woven and on brass and stone. In 6 B.C. Hindus and Buddhists used palm leaves from Tailpot and Palmyra trees. A prototype called 'lekhana' or 'bhurja' made from Birch bark was used by Hindus and Buddhists in 4 B.C.

One of the reasons for this debate is the paucity of early examples of Hindu texts as the great Hindu libraries at Benares, Tirhut, Mithila and Nadra were all destroyed by the raiding Mogals. The Buddhists and Jains too suffered the same fate - Pala University was razed to the ground. The earliest remnants of Jain scriptures on paper date back to 11 A.D.

The fertile climate of India and the abundance of natural materials helped this craft to survive and prosper in India until the British Raj set up wood pulp paper mills in India thereby putting the 'Kagzi' traders out of business. It was the efforts of Mahatma Gandhi that helped the craft to survive in post Independent India. However considering that India has the largest labor force of paper makers in the world the knowledge and consumer base of Indian paper is sadly limited in the United States. For this we have only ourselves to blame. In India there are hundreds of astounding arts and crafts are lost to the world because adequate attempts are not made to understand, export and market these ancient techniques. Handmade paper is not a product that needs to be saved or promoted for aesthetic reasons alone. The paper made from non-woody materials like cotton rags, garlic peels, fruit fibers, straw and commonplace household material conserves scarce forest resources and provides many unskilled rural folk, particularly women with a livelihood.

The process of handmade paper in India has evolved and mechanized considerably over the past 50 years yet 70% of the work continues to be manual, the materials used are non- woody pulps and organic dyes. In larger factories solar power plants provide energy for the beating and drying.  

The ancient process involved the beating and fermenting of materials like tat, Rametta (a plant fiber) Sunn Hemp, Deccan Hemp, Sisal Hemp, Flax, Bamboo, Linen, Jute, Daphne, Seed Hair, garlic peels, flower petals, straw, and leaf fibers in water with caustic soda. This process of washing, beating with a 'jhandar' or heavy wood beam and drying would sometimes last several months until the pulp was ready for paper making wherein grass moulds called 'chapris' were dipped into large vats and the pulp was sifted onto the moulds. The paper was then dried on stonewalls and later on mud floors with heavy rock weights to drain the water. Starch was then applied on them to increase their affinity for ink. The glaze and dyes were made from household materials like rice, saffron, fenugreek seeds, pomegranates and indigo leaves. The papers were smoothened and polished using rocks, stag horns, marble and ivory.

The modern process is virtually the same except that the cotton rags are mashed to a pulp by a machine called the Hollander beater and the polishing and smoothening is done by a manually operated calendaring machine. Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh as also parts of Maharashtra and Gujarat are centers of papermaking.  Excerpts from an interview with Swarnjit Syan a manufacturer of Indian paper.

Q. How is handmade paper environmentally safer?
Ans. 1. Because this is acid free paper.
2. Manufacturing process does not cause pollution
3. Helps utilize waste like rags and other biomass which otherwise is  discarded.
4. Does not require active chemicals.

Q. How does papermaking encourage rural development?
Ans. Most of the manufacturing plants are situated in rural areas as this provides good source of income to villagers and there is easy availability of raw material. Housewives work part time in our factories, which helps them meet daily expenses.

Q. This papermaking, how labor intensive is it? How many people do you employ?  And block printing?
Ans. As the 60% - 70% power used is manpower so this very labor intensive work. Currently in our manufacturing plant we employ 50 people. Block printing is done separately by village women as a part time business.   On June 1, 2002 at 42 Brattle Street at The Cambridge Center of Adult Education, Paper Republic will launch a range of Indian handmade papers, invitations and paper products. The exhibition and sale will introduce the audience to fascinating history of this labor-intensive technology and showcase several unique products and a range of over 300 papers. For more information log onto www.paperrepublic.com   

Tara Deshpande Tennebaum

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