Pondicherry is known for its handmade paper. This craft was introduced by the French colonial rulers of the region.
Basically any organic material, that has enough fiber content in it to form a continuous sheet, is used as the raw material for making the paper. The acidic/alkaline balance is maintained to make the paper strong and long lasting. French style molds are used for preparing individual sheets, which are converted into felts. The felts are pressed into papers and sun dried.
These handmade papers are environment friendly since no trees are cut in their making. They are made out of recycled waste materials.
