The constant clang of hammers echoes through the tin-roofed workshop at The Dindigul Lock Worker’s Industrial Co-operative Society inside the District Industries Centre. About two dozen men sit on the floor, their frail figures bent in concentration. They are busy tightening screws and hammering them onto thick flat brass biscuits, the size of a palm and the shape of a mango, with the branding ‘Dindigul’ engraved on them in bold capital letters. Some men melt iron rods in glowing coal embers while others give finishing touches to cast-iron locks and keys.
“This is the only workshop where traditional mango locks are still being made. Though there are more than 50 varieties of locks manufactured in town, mango lock is special to Dindigul,” says Manohara Pandiyan, secretary in-charge of the Society.
The beginning
What exactly is a mango lock? Its history can be traced back to one Parattai Achari, a blacksmith who manufactured locks in the town around 1930. Regarded the father of Dindigul’s lock industry, his first lock somehow came out in the shape of a mango and people called it ‘maangai pootu’. Parattai Achari’s sturdy locks sold like hot cakes. Soon, he started a workshop and employed more workers and also made innovations in locks, based on need and purpose. Gradually, the men who learnt the craft from him set up their own workshops and the lock manufacturing industry flourished in Dindigul.
By 1945, hundreds of workshops sprang up in Nagal Nagar, Malaipatti, Nallampatti and Kamalapatti and the locks were being sent to other States and later, even abroad. The first lock workers society was started in 1957 and until early 70s, the industry thrived and the fame of Dindigul’s locks reached far and wide.
“There was a time when Government offices, temples, banks and companies preferred only Dindigul locks. A small segment of them still patronise the product. The huge mansions of Chettinad have always been safeguarded by these robust locks. People come in from Karaikudi till date, asking for locks and keys to be specially made for the doors of Chettinad houses,” says A. Prem Kumar, a third generation lock manufacturer, running a small unit in Nagal Nagar.
Market decline
“And then a phase of decline set in, with the arrival of locks from Aligarh and a small group of blacksmiths from Rajapalayam taking up lock manufacturing. Dindigul locks were duplicated in Aligarh; the shapes, style and even the branding. The iron was of lesser quality and weight was reduced and subsequently, locks from Aligarh were priced lesser, because of which, people starting preferring them. The demand for authentic Dindigul locks fell sharply,” says Prem. “Over the years, the industry took a beating with labourers leaving the profession resulting in lack of skilled man power. However, a few continued to make locks for the little market that was left behind.”
The Dindigul lock is more than just an iconic hand-made product. The locks have been known for their advanced seven-lever mechanism that makes it hard to break open them, apart from their sheer weight, life and superior metal quality. The locks, over the years, became synonymous with security, reliability, durability and strength.
Renewed hope
The product was awarded a GI tag recently, a recognition for its uniqueness and expertise of the craftsmen. There are about 2,000 people involved in the craft across 200-odd units and they believe that the GI tag will give a new lease of life to the dying industry. “We hope the tag will make people aware of the product’s distinct features. Eventually, buyers will also be able to recognise original Dindigul locks from the duplicates. Currently, the industry is worth ₹20 Crores per annum and if the craftsmen return and the market patronage goes up, we can expect a growth,” says Prem.
“Enquires have also gone up after the announcement of GI tag and we have got 50 new women members joining the society to take up lock manufacturing. They are being trained under the State’s skill development programme and will open lock-making units or even work at the District Industries Centre,” says Manohara Pandiyan. “The lock makers feel that the Government should also set up a lock-making research centre in Dindigul to bring in more innovation to the industry.”