HIMA ^Verte or Himalaya The Green Mountain is a small family run business providing environmentally and socially conscious alternative business solutions in Pakistan. Through the PARWANA[1] initiative, we are striving to bring together the best papermakers (or ‘kagzis’ as they are known) in the Old City of Lahore, the cultural, intellectual and artistic hub of Pakistan, forging partnerships with these local artisans to revive the dying handmade paper craft, and restoring the livelihoods of artisans who are giving up a skill handed down to them through generations to pursue other promising modes of employment.

Marginalized by the large scale paper industry producing low cost versatile paper products and transforming the preferences of local buyers, the handmade paper trade in Pakistan remains vulnerable. The PARWANA initiative aims to revive the papermaking tradition which dates back to the 3rd Century B.C. and evokes the formidable inheritance of the 14th century Moghul Dynasty and the legacies of the British Empire.

Come join us in this journey and embrace the rustic charms of our handcrafted paper - you may find something enchanting.

We work with the artisans involved in the art of papermaking, bookbinding and block printing, providing them with financial, technical and design support to develop contemporary artifacts, and help them find new markets locally, and now through our foray in Canada - internationally.

PARWANA paper products are hand crafted, using cotton and silk textile remnants and plant fibers. Ours is not mass produced watercolour stock, which is manufactured on hand operated high-speed machines. Instead each piece of paper is individually made by hand.

Our Paper is environmentally sound, processed and handmade on wooden deckles. Occasionally, you may find irregularities in the thickness or colour of the paper, which is inevitable due to the process, and only adds to the charm of the paper itself.

Produced in beautiful, rich colours, hand finished with lovely designs and textures, and block printed by hand, our paper is available in a variety of thicknesses (90gsm – 300gsm).

Our paper is perfect for letterpress and appropriate for almost any use including pen and ink, drawing with coloured or graphite pencil, or light washes of watercolours. The paper can also be used for mixed media. The lower grammage paper will print in the top feed area of an ink jet printer, however, we suggest samples be used for any testing. The full size sheets measure approximately 20" x 30" and the edges are untouched from their drying deckle. We also use this deckle edge paper in some of our unique hand bound notebooks.

Our Block Printed Stationery is made using the traditional South Asian block printing process in rich vibrant colours. In the traditional block printing process, which is unique to the South Asian regions comprising India and Pakistan, each colour of the print requires a separate, hand carved wood block. Each colour pattern is stamped individually onto the paper; the process takes skill and time as the pattern is stamped repeatedly across the paper, colour by colour. The slight imperfections create the artistic effect emblematic of block prints, and every item made from this process is unique.

And Handbound Notebooks ; Combining the skills of our papermakers and bookbinders, we are developing a collection of hand bound notebooks and journals that use traditional bookbinding techniques, at times incorporating leather vestige as decorative accents. Each notebook will treasure your thoughts in its timeless elegance.

We make paper and all our stationery items in small batches so that we can improvise on designs and product range. Should you have a particular design or item in mind that you would like us to make for you, please feel free to contact us. We would love to hear from you.