Paper being made at the Himalayan Handmade Paper Industry. Picture by Chinpol Fudong Lepcha

Kalimpong, Aug. 1: Handmade paper is all set to get a new lease of life.

The Daphne paper, locally known as pahare paper, was only manufactured at the small scale Ganjong Paper Industry at Bhagdhara here. However, it has now found a partner in the newly-opened Himalayan Handmade Paper Industry on DK Pradhan Road, somewhat ensuring the preservation of this ancient form of paper.

?The factory which was opened up last month is now being run on a trial basis. Production will start in a month?s time as there is a substantial amount of demand for this type of handmade paper from different parts of India,? said Lha Ongden Panlook, one of the partners of the factory.

Explaining the procedure of manufacture, Panlook said: ?This eco-friendly paper is made from barks of a deciduous shrub called Angelee (a species of the plant Daphne which is a wild shrub). The plants are put in a pressure cooker until it turns into mush.?

?The solid part is then separated and put into vats where it is treated with water.After that it is then pressed by a machine specially designed for that purpose. The paper is ready for use after it has been dried out in the sun, he added.?

Another thing that makes this factory unique is its usage of the method of water recycling, provided by water harvesting. ?The factory requires an average of 300-400 litres of water everyday. So, we have resorted to water harvesting to fight the acute water crisis,? Panlook said.