Nikita Handmade Papers

You can find us in Sanganer at Tejai Ka Bara, which is right in the heart of Kagzi Mohalla. This area is famous for paper, and we’ve been part of that tradition for quite a while. Our place, Nikita Handmade Papers, is where we spend our days making sheets from pulp. It’s a wet and messy process, especially when we are washing the fibers in the big tanks. We have large vats and frames scattered around the workspace. The floor is usually a bit damp, and we wear rubber boots to keep our feet dry. It’s not a modern factory by any means. It’s more of a traditional workshop where things are done by hand. We hang the paper up to dry on lines, and if it’s a sunny day, they dry fast. If it rains, we have to hurry and bring everything inside before the sheets get ruined. Our family has lived in this mohalla for generations. Everyone around here does similar work, so there is always the sound of people working and the smell of raw materials in the air. We don't have a big sign outside. You just have to look for the stacks of colored paper drying in the sun. It’s hard work on the back and the hands, but it’s what we know how to do. We don't use fancy machines, just our own strength and the old methods we learned from our elders. It takes time but it is the right way.