Paper too beautiful to use : Arunachal Pradesh’s Monpa tribe seeks e-platform to revive thousand-year-old paper-making craft

Made in the picturesque Mukto village in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang district, the ‘Mon Shugu’ or the paper of Monpas is sourced from the bark of a shrub called the ‘Shugu Sheng’, which literally translates to a paper plant.

Quality handmade papers are like first rate stationary, ‘Mon Shugu’ – fibre made paper has a significant and revered tradition in India.

There are not many who are aware of the existence of this fine-textured handmade paper and can actually make it. The technique has been passed down in families for generations. The indigenous process of paper-making by the Monpa tribe works as an alternative to wood based industry as it uses non-wood fibres.There are only four to five households in our village that are engaged in this work.

Nima Tsering, 24 a young entrepreneur and revivalist, still engaged in making  ‘Mon Shugu’ asserted the necessity of preserving the craft during the seventh edition of the recently-concluded Northeast Green Summit organised by Vibgyor NE Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation. “The craft has fallen victim to the triple whammy of a small customer base, wafer-thin profit margins, and mass migration of youth”, he said.

Tsering’s neighbour, Sangey Dorjee (57), has been making the Mon Shugu since the age of seven and lamented the lack of awareness surrounding the special paper, which is chemical-free, eco-friendly, and has a long life.

According to Dorjee, there is no dearth of takers, “Buddhist monks and locals in Tawang serve the major part of the customers. The monks scribble religious texts on this paper which are then inserted into prayer wheels at monasteries. They only use this paper because it is lightweight and considered pure as no chemicals are used in its making.”

With sincere and targeted marketing on social media, it can be a great alternative to wood based paper making industry. They informed me that a 10-sheet bundle of A4 size printer-friendly Mon Shugu costs around ₹200 while a one square metre sheet can be bought for ₹50, price depends on the thickness of the paper, the thicker the paper.

Besides sheets,it can be used to make handbags, envelopes, and a base for paintings.They are ready to dispatch the consignment through Indian post provided the order is economically viable which only e marketplace can offer.  

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