Non-descript Manamadurai, known for its pottery, hit the national headlines in 2013 when 61-year-old K. Meenakshi won the Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar for contribution to instrument making - ghatam, an ancient percussion instrument of south India.
Hers is the only family making the instrument and, thanks to the special tonal quality, vidwans make a beeline to the town to place orders in advance. The fourth generation of the family makes about 500 to 800 ghatams a year and there is always a demand for it.
Pottery is a century-old traditional profession for a section of people in Manamadurai and Melapasalai. The Manamadurai Pottery Workers’ Cooperative Cottage Industrial Society established in 1946 is probably the oldest society still going strong.
When the Department of Mines and Minerals banned removal of clay from waterbodies following a Supreme Court order, the potters faced a bleak future but heaved a sigh of relief when the ban was lifted.
They have been trying to introduce machinery such as pug mill and jigger jolly and establish gas and electric kilns to make pottery more remunerative but have received very little support from government agencies, says K. Veluchamy, president of the society.
A majority of the population in this constituency is engaged in rain-fed agriculture. The Vaigai flows from north to south in the town but the water cannot be diverted to the 90-odd waterbodies as the supply channels are either not de-silted or located above the river
Manamadurai is also famous for the Small Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu complex. Videocon, a leading home appliances maker, has established its refrigerator and washing machine units here, providing employment for womenfolk. Before being declared a reserved constituency in 1977, Manamadurai was a Congress bastion as it elected nominees of the Congress and Swatantra Party till 1967. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam registered its maiden victory in 1971, followed by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in 1977.
AIADMK’s M. Gunasekaran won in 2006 and 2011 and the party has replaced him with Mariappan Kennedy in this election. The DMK has fielded S. Chitra Selvi, daughter of former DMK Minister
‘Samayanallur’ Selvaraj.
In the multi-cornered contest, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi has nominated Deepa Anbalagan, the Pattali Makkal Katchi R. Malaisamy and Bharatiya Janata Party M. Rajendran.
