SHOPPING IN INDIA
Paper Products

During the 1520s the emperor Babur encouraged the establishment of a paper industry in Alwar, Rajasthan. Later, in 1728, Maharaja Jai Singh II (the founder of Jaipur) set up a paper business in Sanganer on the outskirts of Jaipur.

We visited a paper factory in Sanganer where we saw paper being made. The process began by reducing cotton waste to pulp. Flower petals were added to the pulp which was then transferred to large tanks. Two workers submerged a rectangular tray of fine mesh into the water just below the surface. Taking pulp from the bottom of the tank, they emptied it into the tray and agitated it as the pulp settled. The tray was then lifted out of the water and covered with a piece of muslin which was stretched over the sheet of pulp. After inverting the tray and the muslin, the sheet of pulp now on top was added to a pile. The pile was then pressed to drive out most of the water. The resulting sheets were peeled off the muslin and hung out to dry.

Books with blank pages, portfolios, boxes of many different shapes and sizes, pencil boxes, sheets of paper and more were available to buy in the showroom. These items are lightweight and make great gifts. Our group dutifully made several purchases.

Photo essay: The Paper Making Process