March 9, 2006

Papier mâché is an affordable and lucrative enterprise for anyone who wants to start a business, writes Meera Jamal

It is hard to believe that paper can be made out of onion skin, banana leaves, sugarcane waste, coconut husk and old paper, what to say of other things such as files, folders, photo frames, pen and pencil holders etc. being made out of it. This comparatively new (although it has been practised for decades in other Asian countries) technique to make paper and other usable items from waste material, is not only nature and environment friendly but it can also be utilised by the unemployed to earn a living.

Daulat Rahimtoola, a leading herbal beautician, has trained hundreds of people to make hand-made paper. “Twenty years ago I heard about this technique and wanted to learn it myself. Fortunately a trainer came to Pakistan and I got the chance to learn the art of transforming waste products into paper,” she said with a smile. “The trainer taught us to use easily available material such as leaves, tree bark, grass etc. into paper.”

According to Rahimtoola, there is a demand of 20 lakh tons in the market and it could be a lucrative vocation for the poor to earn a living. She believes that learning is not the sole right of one strata of society, and has thus trained people from all walks of life –– teachers, school and college students (from Karachi and other cities of the country), armed force personnel, mentally and physically challenged people etc. “I have trained 4,000 people, the majority belonging to the under privileged section, and I am happy to say that they are doing well in this field now,” she revealed happily.

Rahimtoola, who is usually busy with her beauty salon, has hired two men who instruct those who are willing to learn paper making. However, as the workshop is set up at the back of her salon, she keeps a close watch over the work. Various NGOs like APWA and Behbood have approached her and have brought people to her to be trained free of cost. She arranges these classes once a month, and not only briefs the modus operandi but also makes the students repeat the procedure to know how well they have followed it.

One of the trainers, Noor Shah, described the procedure dexterously. “One doesn’t require much to make paper,” said Shah, while chopping the sugarcane leftovers after the juice is extracted from it.

After chopping it up roughly, he added small amounts in a blender until it became smooth. “One can use the traditional method to pound it with sill bata or hamam dasta to make a smooth powder, but a blender is much quicker and hassle free,” he says.

He then poured in water with caustic soda and bleach added to it, gradually mixed in the sugarcane paste. Then he cooked it in an earthenware vessel for almost four hours or until it turned soft and pulp-like, pouring it all into a large tub that contained clean tap water afterwards. After a few more procedures the paper is ready.

As there is not much money required for making handmade paper, Rahimtoola rightly thinks that it can be adopted by people who want to start up their business but do not have the required capital. Most of the things that are needed are available in one’s home. And the material such as coconut husk, sugarcane waste, leaves, onion skin etc. can be obtained almost free of cost from the street vendors in the market.

These days, paper bags, cards, and other stuff made out of recycled paper and nature-friendly materials sell like hot cakes and at a quite high price. Rahimtoola teaches this art to anyone who approaches her, without charging a single penny and provides all the required information about how to market the product as well.

“There is a huge demand for it in the market, I hope the people who have learnt it from me earn their living through it,” says Daulat Rahimtoola with a satisfaction in her voice of doing something that is of help to others.

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