An artisan at Melakondaiyampettai in Tiruvanaikovil has switched over to mechanisation for making the ‘agal vilakku,’ the traditional earthen lamps, for the Karthigai festival.
The power-operated hydraulic equipment not only makes his labour easy to a great extent as compared to the conventional method, it also protects him from skin ulcer – one of the main hazards in the conventional method of making lamps.
S. Ramu, the artisan, says that the new method has spared him of intensive labour. As many as 3,000 lamps of ‘number 1’ size daily, the standard size used for lighting the ‘deepam’ during the festival, could be made now as against 600 lamps a day under the old method. The equipment could be altered for making larger or smaller lamps also.
Explaining the advantages of mechanisation, Mr. Ramu said that the new device does not require any special skill. Even my children can easily operate the machine. In fact, it has become a hassle-free effort although it involved an investment of Rs. one lakh, he says.
The machine is ideal only for a specific red soil largely available in the Virudhachalam belt in Cuddalore district. He has to shell out Rs.3,000 for purchasing one tonne of soil. In the conventional method, the locally available earth, together with the elephant dung got from Tiruvanaikovil, was used.
