Renu Maya Thami and her husband Santa Bahadur Thami have been running the Devdhunga Hate Kagaj Udhyog in Danchi for the past two years. Originally from Dolakha, the husband-wife duo used to work in various factories producing handmade paper before opening their own small-scale factory. The paper they produce is made up of Lokta and Babiyo (Eulaliopsis binata).
On a good day, they produce 200-300 sheets of paper. The price varies according to the weight of the paper. According to Renu Maya, the profit from the business is enough to pay their rent and the tuition of their two children.
Photos by Gopen Rai
The bark of the plant is soaked in plain water for a few hours.
The plant is brought from various parts of Nepal such as Taplejung, Dolakha, Bhojpur and Ilam.
It is then cooked in hot water along with caustic soda for a couple of hours and then washed with plain water.
It is then bleached to strip the natural colours.
Then it is converted to pulp using a machine. It used to be hammered by hand.
The wooden frames is then submerged in water to level the pulp.
The pulp is then poured into wooden frames.
The wooden frames are set to dry in the sun.
A single sheet can be dried for a couple of hours on a sunny day.