Dal Lake weeds find new life in papier-mache craft
Nawshaba Iqbal SRINAGAR, Aug 31: Dal Lake weeds are finding a new use as raw material for decorative products, with a Srinagar-based artisan turning the aquatic vegetation into pulp and combining it with recycled paper. Simran, a paper-pulp artisan from...
Nawshaba Iqbal
SRINAGAR, Aug 31: Dal Lake weeds are finding a new use as raw material for decorative products, with a Srinagar-based artisan turning the aquatic vegetation into pulp and combining it with recycled paper.
Simran, a paper-pulp artisan from the Zoonimar area, has developed hanging items, decorative pieces and Christmas-themed products using the material.
She has been working with paper pulp for five years and began experimenting with Dal Lake weeds around two years ago.
"I kept thinking about what new work could be done with the material and decided to experiment with grass and see whether it could be used to make products," Simran told Excelsior.
She initially tested different varieties of grass before turning to weeds collected from Dal Lake.
"Instead of bringing grass from elsewhere, I thought, why not use the weeds that are easily available? I tried different types of Dal Lake weeds and worked on them until I found that they could be used for making products," she said.
The weeds are processed manually and beaten before being converted into pulp. The pulp is then mixed with paper to create the material used for crafting. The process, however, remains labour-intensive and limits production.
Each product can take between 10 and 20 days to make, depending on its size and weather conditions. Rain and snowfall slow the drying process.
Simran said she has received orders but has had to turn down many because of the time required for processing the weeds.
"If I get an order, I must think about how I will finish it. A machine would help me increase production," she said.
The lack of machinery is also preventing her from involving more women and girls who have expressed interest in the work.
"Many girls and women call me from villages saying they have grass and weeds and want to work with us, but right now I cannot involve them because the weeds have to be beaten by hand," she said.
Simran said she has already provided employment to around 50 women through her paper-pulp work and hopes to extend similar opportunities through the Dal Lake weed craft once production is mechanised.
The products have not yet been introduced on a large scale in the market.
Simran said she plans to keep their prices below those of conventional papier-mâché products.
She also sees potential for selling them through shikara and houseboat operators, linking the craft with Dal Lake tourism.
Simran believes better equipment and wider support could help scale up the initiative, create livelihoods and give a productive use to weeds removed from Dal Lake.
