A 1000-year-old heritage art – the Monpa Handmade Paper of Arunachal Pradesh – which was driven to extinction, has come to life once again, with the  committed efforts of  Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC ).

KVIC on Friday commissioned a Monpa handmade paper making unit in Tawang, aiming to both reviving the art and engaging the local youths professionally. The unit was inaugurated by KVIC Chairman Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena.

The art of making Monpa handmade paper originated in China over 1,000 years ago. Gradually the art travelled across to India and  became an integral part of local custom and culture in Tawang, which is just 30 km from China. Once produced in every household in Tawang, this handmade paper was a major source of livelihood for the locals. However, the handmade paper industry almost disappeared in the last 100 years; prompting KVIC to plan revival of this ancient art.

The fine-textured handmade paper, which is called Mon Shugu in the local dialect, is integral to the vibrant culture of the local tribes in Tawang. The paper has great historic and religious significance as it is the paper used for writing Buddhist scriptures and hymns in monasteries. The Monpa handmade paper, will be made from the bark of a local tree called Shugu Sheng, which has medicinal values, too. Hence availability of raw material will not be a problem.

Back then, such was the scale of production that Monpas used to sell these papers to  countries like Tibet, Bhutan ,Thai Land  and Japan as no paper making industry existed in these countries at that time. However, the local industry gradually began declining and the indigenous handmade paper was taken over by inferior Chinese paper.

An attempt for the revival of the this  handmade paper industry was made in 1994 but failed as it was a tough task due  to various geographical challenges in Tawang. However, with the  strong resolve of higher management of KVIC, the unit was successfully established. On the instruction of KVIC Chairman, a team of scientists and officials of Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute,(KNHPI) Jaipur,  was deputed at Tawang to  set up the unit and training the locals.  Over six months of rigorous efforts bore fruits and a unit has been commissioned at Tawang.

Initially, the paper unit has engaged 9 artisans who can produce 500 to 600 sheets of Monpa handmade paper per day. The artisans will be earning wages of per day Rs 400 per day. To begin with, 12 women and 2 men from local villages have been trained to make Monpa handmade paper. KNHPI is a unit of KVIC.

The most challenging task for KVIC officials was to transport the machines to Tawang owing to its difficult mountainous terrains and inclement weather conditions. The Arunachal Pradesh Government lent full support to the project and offered a  building  on a nominal rent to set up the unit.

The KVIC Chairman said reviving the Monpa handmade paper industry and increasing its commercial production was the key objective of KVIC. “Owing to its peculiarity, this handmade paper has high commercial value that can be harnessed to create local employment in Arunachal Pradesh. By increasing production of Monpa handmade paper, it can again be exported to other countries and regain the space occupied by China in the last few decades. This is a local product with great global potential, which is aligned with the Mantra of “Local to Global” given by the Hon’ble Prime Minister,” Saxena said.

“The fatigue from the 15 hours of road journey from  Guwahati to Tawang in this difficult terrain just vanished on witnessing this paper unit coming to life again. It is, indeed, a privilege to have inaugurated the unit that will revive this local art,” Saxena said while lauding the KVIC- KNHPI officials for their hard work and Arunachal Pradesh government for their support to the project.