Handmade natural paper in Kalimpong

A writing pad made out of
handmade paper

While in Kalimpong, we heard of a handmade paper factory. I was really keen on visiting this place, I am quite hooked on to natural products.

I am  happy we visited this place, worth the effort. I was fascinated with the entire process of manufacturing paper manually!
What I gathered from my conversation with the person who was supervising the work was that the paper comes from a shrub, the local name of which is Argaylee.

This shrub is indigenous to this region, usually found at altitudes between 2000-3000 metres in the Himalayan region. The bark from the shrubs is used to make paper. The technique I believe is Japanese, and quite ancient.

Dried bark of the shrub

Paper sheets

The bark is cleaned and boiled. The pulp that is obtained from boiling the bark is then processed. It is processed with wooden receptacle, wooden frames, and bamboo screens that is used for handsifting the pulp. The wet sheets that are obtained from this process are dried under the sun. It is a time taking and laborious process, but quite interesting. The papers are then dyed with natural dyes to arrive at the final product. 

A carry bag made out of  handmade paper