Lock with egg shell, bronze sail boat and more among products
V.N.Unnikrishnan with his bronze sail boat. (Photo: DC)
KOCHI: Ever tried your hand at making a lock with eggshell or a miniature sail boat with bronze? V.N. Unnikrishnan, 42, a native of Ochira and a blacksmith by profession, indulges in “creative works” to draw people’s attention so that he could stay in the business by selling his products.
“People used to come to my house to see such works, especially school students. They don’t believe one can make a lock in an eggshell and come personally to check the work. I too love such creative works and wouldn’t mind spending days together. Here patience is the key,” he says.
With mechanisation taking over, the blacksmiths are having a tough time trying to make both ends meet, laments Unnikrishnan, who now sells his innovative “five bolt” locks.
He had travelled to Saudi Arabia and Dubai among other places in search of greener pastures but now has settled in his native village.
“It’s stronger than the mechanised locks which come with a maximum two bolts. The robbers are finding it too easy to break the modern locks. However, locks made in the traditional form is still the safest. The example before us is that of Padmanabhaswamy Temple where an expert team found it tough to break the vault,” he said.
Unnikrishnan has specialised in making locks and temple ‘Kanikka vanchi’ (donation boxes).
“My forefathers were all blacksmiths. Yet I don’t want my two children to pursue this profession as it’s tough to have good businesses despite working in adverse conditions. Also they seem too impatient to tolerate the heat from the fire and the physical endurance required for a fine finished product,” he says.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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