New Delhi, Aug. 31 -- I recently learnt about washi, Japanese handmade paper made from the inner bark of the mulberry tree. Last week, I found myself in a paper shop in Asakusa, Tokyo, making some of my own. Sunny, our host, had already prepared the pulp, but took us through a video of the painstaking process behind it and what happens afterwards. We did the wringing, dewatering and drying, then chose coloured washi to turn our sheets into postcards. It was deeply humbling to see the craft and labour that goes into making something as basic as paper. The experience became even more lovely because of Miori, a little kindergartener whose parents had brought her along for the washi-making exercise. Afterwards, she gave me an origami swan and...