Paper has been made by hand in India for at least 500 years. Not much is known about how and when it was first made in the country, but the most likely theory is one that claims that papermaking was introduced into India between 1420 - 1470 AD by Zain-ul-bidin ruler of Kashmir and the tradition survived with little change till the end of the 19th century.

The raw material used was jute, but not the raw fiber. Used gunny sacks, fishing nets, old ropes, any known fiber that had outlived its original use was soaked in water for many days, beaten slowly and methodically into a pulp which was then made into sheets of paper. It was only in the early years of the 20th century that cotton waste began to replace the jute fiber, but again, woven cloth waste, not raw fiber. Hence recycling has always been an intrinsic part of the process long before there was any concern for the environment, of necessity rather than ideology.

There were many centers famous for paper-making. Kashmir was famous for the silken quality of its paper; Ahmedabad for the toughness and whiteness of the papermade there; Daulatabad for the thinness and strength of its paper, and so on.

Most of these centers are long gone. In Sanganer, in Rajasthan until 5 years ago it was still possible to see the original tradition. Today it is no more.

Daulatabad is one area where, by chance the tradition has survived largely intact, with only a few adaptations. In January 2001, this too was threatened. We, at the Bombay Paperie are making every effort that the tradition continues. The mill has been cleaned, a few vats restored and that is why we are here.

The Bombay Paperie, a part of the Premchand Group was opened specifically to create an awareness of the craft of paper-making to stimulate an interest in something we all take so much for granted and finally, to keep an age-old tradition alive as part of our cultural heritage for the next generation who may use e-mails, but can hopefully also integrate paper into their world.

If you'd like to travel further into the world of paper-making in India, see "Off the Deckle Edge" a paper-making journey in India by Neeta Premchand published in 1995 ISBN 0 952583119.