https://csim.in/conversations/Conversations-June2012.pdf

The sun was blazing and summer was its peak at 42 degrees when we drove along Poonamalee high road to document the lives of the brick klin workers at Aranavoyal, a village located 32 kilometers from Chennai.  

Our NGO contact Logammal led us to the brick kiln that was situated near the main road at Aranavoyal. An iron pole served as a checkpost at the entrance of the brick kiln that was spread over 10 acres of land. After Logammal explained the purpose of our visit, the gate was opened for us. 

It was around 3 in the afternoon. We stepped out of the car and walked towards a cluster of women and children. After introducing ourselves, AK set off to take pictures while I walked around seeking shade for the interview.  

I saw a large thatched structure and doubled my speed to reach this place. Just then, I noticed Murugan, 38, stepping out of this shed. I stopped him and enquired if he would be interested to talk to Conversations. “How long will you take? I can give you three minutes. Ask quickly what you want,” he said instantly. 

“I will try to finish in less than two minutes,” I replied. I was confident to convince him to converse for a longer time. 

We stepped into the thatched shed that was lined up with bricks waiting for their turn to get burnt. In less than a minute, Murugan stacked some bricks and offered it to me as a seat. I was overwhelmed with his hospitality and asked him to also seat himself and said that he was going to be the hero for my story. 

Murugan was thrilled to hear this and this set the beginning for our conversation.

“I hail from Thirunavallur at Villupuram district and belong to the Parayar (scheduled caste) community. I have been engaged in brick-making for over 15 years. During monsoon, I work as an agricultural labourer. Agriculture work is less cumbersome, but I get paid only Rs. 120 a day. My wife Jaya and I earn around 1000 to 1200 rupees a day in the brick klin,” he said.

“During Pongal, the harvest festival, our owner offers an interest-free loan of Rs. 70,000 to each of the 20 families who lives here. We repay the loan amount in installments at the time of receiving our weekly payment,” he added. Looking around the land where the sand was piled up, I enquired about the work at the brick klin. 

“Our owner procures sand from a dealer which is heaped here. We then transfer small portions of the sand using a manual trolley and prepare the clay by adding water to it. We use a spade to turn the sand every two hours to make it soft, and leave it overnight to set.”  

“A length of 25 footsteps is measured on a clean patch of land and the softened clay is placed in three rows. Clay is taken by hand and moulded into bricks one by one. These moulded bricks are then stacked ten to twelve per column and allowed to dry in the sun. They are left to dry for two days and turned over to facilitate uniform drying.” 

I looked around the thatched shed with awe at about 30,000 bricks in it. While I wondered how much of labour had gone into making these bricks, Murugan’s son Surya, 8, stepped into the shed and in a moment started climbing the bricks that were lined up beside me. 

“We start our day’s work around 2 am and finish laying the bricks before the heat sets in. We rest at 10 am and commence work again at 3 pm. We use a tool to straighten the bricks and obtain a smooth surface. Once it is dried, they are then stacked in this shed. My wife and I can set 3000 bricks in a day easily,” said a proud Murugan. 

About ten children from the colony surrounded us and drew our attention by playing pranks and laughing at each other. Murugan’s daughter Jothika was shy and so was his son Dorai . 

I requested Murugan to demonstrate the making of bricks and he readily obliged. Jaya helped Murugan and within a minute the bricks were moulded. 

Not wanting to bother Murugan further, we took leave of him and thanked his family for their time. 

The children joined us as we walked through the colony where the Goundar community lived. Here, we met Sushila who was leaning against a wall. When we enquired about the work at the brick chamber, she immediately rose and led us to the chamber. 

“The chimney passes through a tunnel burning the bricks on rotation. About 15000 bricks are laid in this chamber and it takes two days for the entire set of bricks to get burnt. Coal is used as fuel,” she explained. 

“We are paid Rs. 1,350 a week which is much lesser than those who earn by making the raw bricks. In fact, it is because of our labour these bricks can be put to use, “she adds.

The heat did not deter these families from work and it seemed as if they were all charged with solar energy. While I complained about the weather being unbearable, Sushila concludes saying, “It is this heat that gives us food.” 

As the evening drew to a close we bid adieu to these families and headed towards our vehicle. We waved goodbye until we lost sight of each other.