Name the home appliance that was developed by Sabapathy in Coimbatore? This was one of the questions on a popular TV game show Neengalum Vellalam Oru Kodi hosted by actor Arvind Swamy. The answer: wet grinder.
Old timers in the city still recall a time when people lined up in the streets to catch a glimpse of wet grinders as they were loaded on to a truck to be sent to Chennai and Madurai and, sometimes, on bullock carts to Pollachi. “P Sabapathy designed and manufactured the first electric wet grinder in Coimbatore in the 1950s through his company, Electron Electrical and Mechanical Engineers,” says historian CR Elangovan.
In his new Tamil book, Automatic Aataangal:Kovaiyin Seethanam, he chronicles the city’s contribution to the wet grinder industry. “Today, more than 300 manufacturers in and around the city manufacture wet grinders and Coimbatore’s wet grinders have a Geographical Indication tag too. The industry employs over 16,000 people,” he says.
The story goes that one of the reasons for Sabapathy’s invention was that he did not want his bride-to-be to spend hours grinding batter on the aataangal when they got married. It involved a lot of trial and error. First, he automated the aataangal ; then, as the batter spilt, he covered the stone with a zinc sheet, added an electroplated sheet…the model evolved over the years.
The author says that while Coimbatore has been highlighted as a hub for textiles, motor pumps, SSI units, and automobiles, the connection with wet grinders seems to have been forgotten. “It’s an indigenous technology conceptualised by an entrepreneur right here in Coimbatore. Some earlier models also came with coolants,” says Elangovan.
The wet grinders, he says, also puts the spotlight on the ubiquitous idli, the popular south Indian breakfast item. “Sabapathy was a visionary. He saw the business potential early. Now, almost all hotels in the South have idli and dosa on the breakfast menu, which implies the inevitable role of wet grinders. This invention has to be celebrated for taking the workload off home-makers. It used to be tiresome chore for women as they had to spend hours physically grinding the batter in a traditional aataangal. ”
The book also throws light on how several small industries that make spare parts and accessories for wet grinders flourished. It attracted a number of motor manufacturers like AVE Motors and Crompton Motors to set up base here.
“Can you believe it?” asks Elangovan, “Forty different types of wet grinders are made here. From machines that can grind small quantities like half a kilo to something that can make 100 litres of batter. This industry has led to a boom in the food-processing industry. From the early 1970s, the wet grinders have been exported to Dubai, Singapore, and Malaysia. Even today, the spare parts are supplied from here across the country.”
He also mentions that the city delivered one crore wet grinders as part of a freebie scheme introduced by the late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. “The industry will easily survive for many more years and generate employment too. You need people to replace the spares and components for the one crore grinders currently in use in homes in Tamil Nadu. Though the market is saturated in the South, there is still demand in the North.” He goes on to say that the engineering technology that makes wet grinders so unique is a simple one. “Anyone can easily assemble a wet grinder in their own backyard in Pappanaickenpalayam, Ganapathy or Avarampalayam. Every single spare part is available here. It’s also reminder of the immense entrepreneurial spirit and exceptional engineering skills the city fosters. The idea of making a wet grinder was conceptualised from scratch by someone who was a school dropout.”
Developments
Around 15 people contributed to improve on the existing model. In the 1970s, Krishnamurthy and Nanjappan of Lakshmi Grinders popularised the electric grinder, commercially.
The second generation of tilting wet grinders did away with the need to lift the heavy stone.
R Doraiswamy who introduced the Santha tilting wet grinder
LG Varadaraj’s ELGI Ultra was the country’s first table top grinder. This model, introduced for the premium segment, comes with conical grinding stones and an innovate engineering heat transfer technology, which ensures that the batter stays fresh for a long time
To get a copy of the book, call: 93450-03109
His other books
Siruvani - On the history of Coimbatore’s protected drinking water scheme
KovaiyumCinemavum - On Coimbatore's connection with cinema that dates back to 1917s
Coimbatore Oru Varalaru - How an agrarian community ushered in the industrial revolution
