For several decades, the ‘clink-clink-clink’ of hammer and chisel hitting stone punctuated the air in Mettu Theru of Woraiyur, as artisans from the 15-20 family-run companies etched out commemorative plaques, cemetery relics and sculpted religious idols through the day.
“The earlier name of Kallukaarar Mettu Theru (Stone Carvers’ Street) has gone because most of the stone carvers have left,” says N Madhuranayagam, a scion of the distinguished Kalvarayan clan that has literally etched its name in the profession over generations.
With its history as a capital of the early Chola and Muthuraja dynasties, the Tiruchi suburb of Woraiyur is well-known for its fine handloom cotton and hand-rolled Trichinopoly cigars said to have been favoured by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
But its stone carvers — whose inscriptions, idols, sculpture and kitchen implements have furnished many of the stately Chettinad homes and temples in the region —have been sidelined by the growing automation of their industry. Only those who have adapted to the changing times have managed to survive.
Historic contribution
A framed letter of commendation issued by the Office of the Chief Engineer to ‘Messrs Calveroyan and Sons’ in 1934 is the lone proof of the contribution of Madhuranayagam’s grandfather K Manickam to local history.
TIRUCHI, TAMIL NADU, 24/10/18: FOR METRO PLUS:- A photograph of K.Manickam a stone sculpture at Tiruchi. Photo.M_Moorthy / The Hindu
Manickam personally oversaw the etching of the stone signage in the Mettur Dam built across the Cauvery river in Salem district (said to be one of the largest in India), which was inaugurated in 1934 after a nine-year construction period by the then-Governor of Madras, Sir George Stanley.
TIRUCHI, TAMIL NADU, 24/10/18: FOR METRO PLUS:- A photograph and Appreciation certificate given by The British to K.Manickam a stone sculpture at Tiruchi. Photo.M_Moorthy / The Hindu
“Mr K Manickam of this firm company came himself to attend to the unpacking of the [memorial] stone and took endless trouble to ensure complete satisfaction. As a business firm I have found them prompt, obliging and reliable, and they have supplied all of the inscription stones used on the Mettur Dam,” reads the letter. Manickam was later awarded a gold medal for his work.
Post-independence, his son, M Nanthi, took charge of the installation of an obelisk and stone plaque to mark the inauguration of the first phase of the Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited (NCL) in 1957. “My father assembled a team of artisans and stayed on site to work on the huge structure. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Jawharalal Nehru,” says Madhuranayagam.
At 88, Nanthi’s brother M Kalvarayan (named after the family’s patriarch) is the last of the family in this profession. Now suffering from age-related ailments, Kalvarayan worked well up to the 1990s. The yard of the family’s ancestral Mettu Theru home retains stone tablets and half-done granite crosses but it’s clear that the hammer and chisel have been silenced forever here.
A tough livelihood
“Our father closed his business in the 1970s. He didn’t encourage us to follow him into the trade because he felt we didn’t have the stamina for this work,” says Madhuranayagam. Kalvarayan’s son Mahendran assisted him for around 10 years but had to give it up when he broke his leg in an accident. He now works as a plumber.
TIRUCHI, TAMIL NADU, 24/10/18: FOR METRO PLUS:- Different varieties of Carving tools are on display at a Workshop in Tiruchi. Photo.M_Moorthy / The Hindu
The precision of the master craftsmen’s work was achieved with rudimentary tools and measuring equipment (twigs and mud-smeared twine). Iron powder would be rubbed by hand on the completed object to get a smooth finish.
“Stone carving is a hard way to earn a living. Most artisans would spend six to eight hours in the sun, patiently carving inscriptions. It could be dangerous too, because stone particles could get into the eyes, and even cause blindness,” says Mahendran.
Powered by technology
Tracking down R Vinoth, a third-generation member of Sundaramoorthy Sons, is quite easy because his company website details the work of his family’s 83-year-old business, which includes carving for the Rameswaram Temple and educational institutions all over India.
“We no longer carve large inscriptions by hand but our services are still required to create a record of public works,” says Vinoth, who assists his father SS Radhakrishnan and uncle SS Muruganandam, operating out of a store in Tiruchi’s Fort Station Road.
Vinoth creates digital templates of customers’ orders on his computer at home in Woraiyur and prints them out on adhesive vinyl sheets that are later sand-blasted on to readymade stone tablets. “What took several months in the old process can be done in a matter of hours with power tools today,” says Vinoth, who adds that it is important for carvers to be skilled artists as well.
But a perusal of the mud-floored store’s products shows that Sundaramoorthy Sons is still sculpting religious idols and kitchen aids like the ammikkal , ural and mortar and pestles by hand because they are considered to be auspicious additions to south Indian homes. Christian cemetery ornaments also constitute a large part of the business.
While Vinoth remains optimistic about the role of technology in the traditional trade, he admits that the human element is an integral part of the male-dominated profession. “We still employ some six to eight skilled carvers who joined the company as young lads,” he says. “For smaller projects, manual inscription is more economical.”
Among these is Raju, who came to the firm straight out of school. “I try to bring the same result as digital signage to the carved inscriptions,” he says, as he applies black wax polish on an etched Cuddapah stone plaque.
The polish, which is scraped off with a razor blade after 10 minutes, helps to set the paint that is brushed on to the letters. Raju, like many of his counterparts, ‘knows’ many languages by sight, and can inscribe signs in Tamil, Malayalam, Sanskrit, and Arabic.
