Srinagar, Aug. 21 -- Rooted in Kashmir's centuries-old craft tradition, paper mache has found a new material in the hands of a local artisan, who uses dried grass and weeds that are often treated as waste.

Simran, a woman artisan from Nowshera Zoonimar in Srinagar, has developed a craft she calls 'Grass Mache', using dried weeds and grasses, including those collected from Dal Lake. She turns the material into a fibrous pulp, mixes it with recycled paper and shapes it into durable, stone-like pieces for home decor.

With around five years of experience in paper mache, Simran spent nearly two years working on the new technique. Her idea is to give the traditional craft an eco-friendly touch while also finding a use for unwanted vegetation....