Hi, I’m Ishaan Cariappa ! I spend most my days going to school (11th grade). I like working out at the gym. I’m passionate about cooking and especially love watching the expressions of my loved ones.
This is a blog about ‘What I think about my Mum’s plans for bluecat paper’
Table of Contents
Introduction
Bluecat paper is a company that was founded by Mrs. Kavya Madappa. This company specializes in tree-free paper to help the world become a more sustainable eco friendly place. Bluecat paper also recycles all the water used in the papermaking process to make even more paper. Bluecat paper uses waste materials such as cotton rags, coffee husk, mulberry bark and other materials to make their paper. However, in this blog we will be looking at the person responsible for this project; Mrs Kavya Madappa.
Why did you start Bluecat paper?
Kavya Madappa started Bluecat paper simply because she wanted to do something for the environment and the world around her. She feels passionately for paper and trees and despises the idea of cutting trees for paper. She says “If you can make this high quality paper from these waste materials that are often burned and discarded, why must you cut trees to make this product?” Passion was not the only thing that allowed her to set up this brilliant project. Kavya also has a very successful resort in Coorg by the name of Amanvana on the banks of the river Kaveri. She also has extensive knowledge and experience in the business sector and finances which allows her to use her funds effectively. Additionally, she has a brilliant work ethic and is exceptionally consistent with her work. Prior to starting the project, Kavya had traveled to Jaipur to learn the art of tree free and handmade paper making in an institute called KNHPI where she went under the tutelage of Mr. Khan. She also feels strongly for the Make in India project and to help our country grow by exporting her paper abroad to countries like Russia, Qatar, Spain, Australia, The USA, Sweden and Ghana.
What difficulties did you have when you started the company?
Kavya faced all the usual start up problems and more. She worked tirelessly to establish a factory and get machinery. Being a believer of make in India, Kavya did not buy foreign machines instead preferring to buy from small local companies. However, this sometimes backfired. Some machines arrived broken and missing parts which really hurt the wallet. She also struggled to set up a customer base of people who also feel the same way with the eco-friendly message. Her team and he attended multiple expositions and festivals around India and the world in order to push the message further. A funny story about one of the expo’s in Frankfurt, Germany where Kavya and her husband Nikhil set up a beautiful stall but no-one was entering as it was far away from the heart of the expo. Therefore, him and her carried samples around the massive convention centre asking people whether they would be interested to see the tree free initiative. Of Course people asked them to leave and ignored them but they persevered through the odds and got up to 3 massive orders from the convention. This proves to us the dedication that Kavya has to the project. This is not just a single instance. She had also set up a stall on the pavement at the 2019 Dubai expo in order to clear out stock. Such driven attitudes can only come from a person who truly believes in the cause of environmentalism.
There were multiple instances when Kavya wanted to quit the project, however, she persisted in her goals and is on a trajectory towards making the world just a bit better.
What do you hope to achieve with your company in the future?
Kavya hopes to make cellulose based paper mainstream with her company. She hopes that people will grab onto her idea and not cut trees for paper. As she says “Leave the trees for the birds” She also hopes to make India the pioneer for tree free papermaking and also encourages people to try the tree free method. “I hope to see everyone start writing on tree free paper someday,” she says “Cutting trees for something that can be made out of waste is unnecessary and cruel to the planet.” Since eco friendly products and solutions are on the rise she has no doubt in her mind that tree free paper will be a lot more widely used in the world in the near future.
How did I feel when she first started the company?
One thing that has not been stated is that Mrs. Kavya Madappa is in fact my mother. So I believe that I can speak for most of the family. When mum started the factory I was very skeptical. I really thought there was no need to venture out into unknown terrain and start something she had no experience in. We were already well settled and didn’t have a reason to start a new venture. However, she was adamant to do so and I really didn’t have any say in the matter. She put everything on the line; this included the savings and all the rainy day funds. But it’s no surprise that it turned out the way it did. Throughout this blog I have mentioned multiple instances of her work ethic, hard-work and determination to be the best. It’s not a question of if this project can be a success, It’s when it will. As for the rest of the family. Everyone else thought she was crazy, but she never let it get to her head. Because people thought she was crazy to start the resort as well, but she persevered and made that a success as well. I have complete faith in her and know that she will continue to do great things until her last breath.
Conclusion.
To conclude, Mrs Kavya/ my mother is truly a specimen of hard work, effort and sheer grit. To put it in simple terms she just doesn’t know when to give up. And that’s why bluecat paper is where it is today.
