30-year-old multifaceted Idrees from Shivamogga makes paper in sustainable way- The New Indian Express

2022-08-26 22:44:42 By : Mr. Tracy Tang

30-year-old Idrees from Shivamogga has carved out an eco-friendly career by producing paper using naturally-sourced materials like plant waste and elephant dung  

Published: 06th February 2022 04:48 AM   |   Last Updated: 06th February 2022 04:48 AM   |   A+ A  A-

Shaikh Mohammed Idrees processes fabric to make pulp for paper, at his unit in Hosahalli village of Shivamogga taluk | Shimoga Nandan

SHIVAMOGGA: Around 3,000 years ago, inventors in China and Egypt took communication to the next level by producing paper. It opened up a new world, with people being able to express their thoughts more clearly and preserve the past and present for the future. Similar is the story of 30-year-old Shaikh Mohammed Idrees of Hosahalli village in Shivamogga district.

Curiosity, passion and determination pushed this youth to realise his career which he has carved out for himself in a sustainable way. A BSc graduate, Idress produces handmade paper using different kinds of plant waste, elephant dung and more, which has received a good response both in the local market and abroad.

“I was curious to learn how paper was made. I read several books and did my homework. Around three millennia ago, Egyptians developed paper from the pith of the papyrus plant. I used the grinder at my home to make a fine paste of the papyrus plant sourced from my neighbourhood and tried to make paper. I succeeded. Then I tried making paper with banana stems and rice husk,” he elaborates on how his journey began. But making paper, he says, is a time-consuming process as it takes 2-3 months to decompose the plants naturally and to break down the legumin content.

“By following the traditional paper-making procedure, including maceration, I initially produced 10 sheets of paper. I sent them to my artist-friends in the UK and other European countries. They encouraged me to produce more to meet their requirements,” explains Idrees. So far, he has successfully produced handmade paper using 50 different kinds of plant waste, like cotton, pineapple, mulberry, hemp, banana stem, rice husk, elephant foot grass, bagasse and even elephant dung. He also uses discarded fabric.

He says paper made using mulberry and hemp have high folding strength and elasticity and a longer shelf life as it is rich in oil content. The peak of his creativity is the archival quality paper that he produces. “It is used by artists, calligraphists, research scholars and at museums to conserve archives like manuscripts,” he says. Elaborating, Idrees says archival quality paper has high-fibre content with high elasticity.

Recently, Idrees conserved a letter written by former US President Abraham Lincoln that was in the possession of a private museum in India. He is also engaged in conserving palm-leaf, copper plate and stone inscriptions. 

He exports paper to 30 different countries. “People prefer to have diaries made out of handmade paper in the UK and other European countries,” he says. Depending on the customers’ requirements, Idrees customises the size of archival quality papers besides making 10GSM/15GSM/20GSM paper to repair damaged manuscripts. In an era where advertising is the king, Idrees strongly believes in word-of-mouth publicity for his work and never uses any social media platform to publicise his products. “My principle is to make the best out of waste,” he concludes.

Shaikh Mohammed Idrees has been passionate about celestial bodies since childhood. “When I was in Class 3, I got fascinated looking at the night sky through a pair of binoculars. This pushed me to study about lenses, cameras, binoculars and telescopes,” he said. He made a telescope in 2010 using available waste in workshops and is now engaged in making a 1,200 megapixel telescope. He is also making a 10-inch lens for the telescope.

Idrees plays the harmonica, flute, rubab, violin and ney, a traditional Turkish flute-like instrument.

Idrees is a passionate painter too, with his works being exhibited in different cities across India, besides in the UK, the US, Australia and the Middle Eastern countries. 

Disclaimer : We respect your thoughts and views! But we need to be judicious while moderating your comments. All the comments will be moderated by the newindianexpress.com editorial. Abstain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks. Try to avoid outside hyperlinks inside the comment. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines.

The views expressed in comments published on newindianexpress.com are those of the comment writers alone. They do not represent the views or opinions of newindianexpress.com or its staff, nor do they represent the views or opinions of The New Indian Express Group, or any entity of, or affiliated with, The New Indian Express Group. newindianexpress.com reserves the right to take any or all comments down at any time.

Azad jumps on 'leave Congress' bandwagon; exodus of leaders from party continues unabated

Exits of Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kapil Sibal leave G-23 change seekers in disarray

OTT platforms may upend multiplexes' soon, set to be a Rs 12,000-crore industry by 2023: Report

Iranian women allowed to attend domestic football match for first time in 40 years

Sonali Phogat forcibly drugged with obnoxious chemical before she died: Goa Police

National parties collected Rs 15,077 crore from unknown sources between 2004-05 and 2020-21: ADR

The Morning Standard | Dinamani | Kannada Prabha | Samakalika Malayalam | Indulgexpress | Edex Live | Cinema Express | Event Xpress

Contact Us | About Us | Careers | Privacy Policy | Search | Terms of Use | Advertise With Us

Home | Nation | World | Cities | Business | Columns | Entertainment | Sport | Magazine | The Sunday Standard