Craft documentation

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ARTISAN INTERVIEW

Artisan name- Aravind Achari
Handicraft centre- Aishwarya Handicrafts centre
Runs the business and works in the workshop.

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ARTISAN INTERVIEW to both the mirror and the brass frame and this was done under a ‘scheme’ that
was arranged. I was 18 back then and as an adult, I was allowed to accompany
Interview 1 my dad to the workshop. Along with a few artisans from Aranmula, there were
also idol sculptors from Mannar, a town nearby. The workshop was held by
Artisan name- Aravind Achari a seven-member team, headed by an international designer, Mr Ravishankar.
Handicraft centre- Aishwarya Handicrafts centre There, we were asked to sketch out our ideas and make our own innovative
Runs the business and works in the workshop. mirrors along with creating mirrors following sketches that they made and
gave us.
Can you please introduce yourself?
Is there a hierarchy between the craftsmen?
I come from a traditional family called Thikinampallil. I am the grandson of
Shankaran Achari and the son of Shivankutty Achari- Aravind Achari. We are a There’s nothing like that, family members interested in the craft are always
family that has been making these mirrors for generations. Our origin is from welcome in the workshop to learn and obtain skills necessary for handling
the south side of the Aranmula Temple. The entire land on the south side of the this craft.
temple was provided to my ancestors by the king back then, where he built
us houses and that is where we have been living. These ancestors came from How many different families in Aranmula practice this craft?
a place in Tamil Nadu called Sankarankovil, a place in Tirunelveli. I have heard
through my family and through Mr Sreeranganathan, a researcher who has been Here, we have 22 families involved in creating this craft and what they make
documenting this place and this craft, that these people, who spoke in a simple depends on the families. Some families create just the frame or mirror alone
Tamil dialect, were people who were brought here for creating sculptures in the while others handle both.
temple and were experts in that field.
How long has the craft been practised in your family?
Have you gotten any special training when it comes to making the
mirror?

We didn’t get any special training when growing up, we just accompanied our My family has been making these mirrors since the beginning, however a few
family members into the workshop and picked up these skills over the years members in my family, after being taught the craft, have moved away and
and all of us can now handle every single side of mirror making. In the year 2000 started their own workshops.
however, we were trained by the central government. Members from their ‘design
wing’ from Bangalore had come and set up a workshop in Aranmula and here, Does everyone currently in your family practice this craft? How
we were taught how to create new, better and innovative designs when it comes many members are involved in this craft?

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Yes. Everyone in my dad’s side of the family, his brothers and his sister, are artisans orders would range from 50-100 mirrors and the workshop’s operations would
that are involved in mirror making. They all have their individual workshops and solely depend on the orders we have received.
shops. My wife and I run the Aishwarya Handicrafts centre. We have two shops that sell these mirrors, one near the south side of the
temple and one near its main entrance that operates from 9 am to 7pm. There,
Do you plan to train your children in this traditional handicraft? customers can always come visit and buy already made mirrors or place orders
for customized mirrors. As we are a family business, we have hired no one
Honestly, I really cannot tell because it depends on their interest. For a business from outside to handle the shops. The shop on the south-side of the temple is
to succeed, you really need to have a lot of interest in running in and I’m not sure handled by my father and the one near the temple’s main entrance is handled
they have that yet. If they do have it in the future, they can definitely take over the by my wife and I. I believe it’s best that we keep the business operations, starting
business and drive it forward or go their own way. from making and polishing the mirror and designing and fixing the mirrors on
the brass frame within the family because only then will the mirror come out as
What is your current monthly income? perfect as it is. Employing someone from the outside to handle such delicate
tasks will end up with them taking a long time to develop necessary skills to
It depends on the orders the shop gets. During the pandemic, this whole year we work efficiently.
have sat for almost 6 months with nothing to do. However, before the pandemic,
all staff in the workshop was paid 900 rs every day and we used to employ 8 How many mirrors do artisans in your shop make per day? Have
people in the business back then but now we only have 3 people working here the orders increased or decreased recently?
as we only have that much work to do.
We are able to make 50 mirrors per week before the pandemic, but now they’ve
How many months in a year is this craft practised? drastically decreased.

Currently, because of the pandemic and the lockdowns imposed, our workshops What are the different types of mirrors you make?
have been closed for a large part of the year but we slowly start operations
whenever we get an order. We make mirrors that range from the 1.5 -10 inch sized Valkannadi or hand
mirrors and these are the mirrors we have on sale right now. We usually don’t
During which months of the year was there the highest demand get orders to make mirrors bigger than this, although we had once created a
for the mirror? Can you talk about the operations of the business? 22-inch mirror that we were commissioned to do by the British Museum. Along
with the aranmula mirrors, we also create small metal crafts.
There was no specific month where we got the most number of orders. Some
months we would get orders for 700 small handheld mirrors, other months the

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Usually, what are the most common designs engraved on the size increases, the price also drastically increases.
mirror?
Who are your main buyers?
The engravings in the mirror really depend on the order we receive. Common
designs in the mirror include things like flowers, the sun, the moon, animals like Our main buyers are people from Kerala. Before the pandemic we also used to
a peacock or elephant as the frame and symbols of god. However, we get really receive a large number of orders from foreigners and Indians living overseas
excited when we have to design and create mirrors that are out of the ordinary. but the number has drastically decreased after the pandemic hit us.
For example, we got an order to make a custom locket for the necklace of a
temple elephant Trikanoor Shivarajan. The locket consisted of the elephant’s face How do you sell/ promote your craft? Do you have an online
engraved on both sides of the locket and inside the locket, there were mirrors presence?
with a craving of a ‘Shankh Mudra’ or conch symbol. All of us artisans really hope
to get exciting tasks like these to accomplish in the future. We did have a website two years ago but we had to take it down as we had
to cut costs during the pandemic. However, we do have customers that reach
What are the new techniques that have been developed in the out to us when they find us on google and place customized orders through
craft? WhatsApp and we courier them the mirror.

We follow the old, traditional way of crafting our mirrors so no new techniques Where do you procure your main raw materials from?
have been developed and introduced in the field. However, we have and will
continue to design and introduce new models. There is a town nearby called Mannar, it is a place where these materials are sold.
Nevertheless, these materials have recently become very costly and we are
How do you check the quality of your mirrors? unable to afford them so we only buy materials from there if we need anything
at the last moment. So, most of the artisans now obtain these materials from
Quality check is manually done after every single step of the mirror making places across India like Coimbatore and Delhi where we contact them online
process. Only after we make sure the mirror is perfect do we place a hologram and they courier these materials to us.
sticker that consists of our family name and the shop’s name and other details
on the back of the mirror. Do you get any subsidy from the government while procuring
raw materials?
Who or what decides the pricing of your products?
No, we don’t.
The price of the craft solely depends on the mirror attached to the frame. As its

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What is the biggest problem artisans encounter within the field? What kind of business structure do you follow?

When making the Aranmula mirror, the biggest difficulty we have to face is the All aspects of the business are handled by my father and myself. We have two
dust and the subsequent dust allergy all of us get. During the process of creating shops that exclusively sell variations models of the Aranmula mirror and we also
the mirror, tasks like melting and moulding, polishing the mirror and cutting the accept custom orders. Customers come directly to the shop to order and collect
brass frames all send dust flying into the air. This dust is invisible to the naked eye their mirrors and we also respond to customers that reach us through whatsapp
so it easily enters into our nose and falls on our skin. This leads us to developing and we courier them the mirror when it’s all done.
skin and dust allergies. We make sure to minimise this by using masks and gloves
and thoroughly washing our hands whenever we get the chance to. A special Are you facing any difficulty in marketing the products? If yes,
mixture called ‘Klav’ is also used to shampoo our hair, it appears green in colour what are the main reasons?
and that is what we always use.
We have faced no difficulty marketing the products as such other than having
Do you have any migrant workers that have started to work in to close down and not renew our website. We run two shops through which we
Aranmula? have a small number of orders coming in. Other than having physical shops, we
really can’t afford to do any other kind of marketing or advertising.
We have brought in some workers that specialize in moulding from Hyderabad.
They speak Hindi and we have provided them with housing and other amenities. Can you talk about your international business and how you handle
They handle moulding the brass frames when we have to use the box casting clients?
process. The everyday workers in the workshop can’t handle heavy orders using
the traditional process and in this technique, wet clay is used to create moulds Before the pandemic, we had a website through which anyone from the world
for brand new designs. When we have to use this technique to create like 50 could reach out to us and place an order, however we had to shut it down due to
mirrors in a week, it’s impossible to do so by just the three workers we have its high cost of keeping up. Now, we have international clients reach us through
employed in the workshop so we had to bring in outside workers. These workers whatsapp and place their order through it and we ship internationally.
have been employed by various workshops all over Aranmula.
Are there any government initiatives directly linked to your craft?
What are the other crafts practised in Aranmula?
No, there aren’t any, other than the government organized training that happens
Aranmula is a very small place and the only craft cluster present here consists of once in a blue moon.
artisans that create the Aranmula Kannadi. Along with the mirror, we also create
small metal handicrafts using the same raw materials.

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How did the flood and covid 19 affect your handicraft sector?

We are all living through these unprecedented times and all of us have been hit
incredibly hard. We just have to survive and overcome it, that’s all that I would
like to say. Here, in Aranmula, a lot of us have gotten COVID recently or are still
in the hospital. An artisan belonging to the family also lost his life so overall, we
are terribly suffering and just wish this pandemic would end as fast as possible.

Is your craft associated with any NGO’s?

After the floods, we were hit with so much loss however, we received no help
from the government to get us back on our feet. At that time, an NGO called
‘Habitat for Humanity’ came forward for our aid and helped a few families with
their business.They were able to provide us with raw materials and other help
kits and we are forever grateful towards them.

What do you think is the future of your craft?

I truly believe that this craft and how its made should continue in the traditional
way it is being practised right now. Still, I hope that there could be ways where
we can bring in innovation and new ideas when it comes to designing the
frames and moulds and introduce different models of the mirror, in turn creating
beautiful mirrors. A sense of newness should arise within this craft as everyone
adores something new over something old.

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ARTISAN INTERVIEW

Artisan name- Sindhu G
Handicraft centre- Viswasarathy Handicrafts Centre

Runs the business and works in the workshop.

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ARTISAN INTERVIEW

Interview 2 this craft.

Artisan name- Sindhu G How many different families in Aranmula practice this craft?
Handicraft centre- Viswasarathy Handicrafts Centre
Here, in the beginning, there were only about 6 families that were practicing this
Runs the business and works in the workshop. craft full time. Quite a few years back, people in the area started to understand
the increasing demand for the mirror themselves and so they decided to learn
Can you please introduce yourself? skills and join workshops and even open their shops. So now, we have 22
families involved in creating this craft and what they make depends on
My name is Sindhu. I belong to a family that has been practicing the art of making the families.
the Aranmula Kannadi since the beginning. My father ran the business from the
1970s to the 2000s and then, after his death, I took over the business and now, How long has the craft been practised in your family?
I run this unit. I handle the shop and the workshop. The name of the handicrafts
centre I own is called ‘Vishwabharati’ handicrafts centre. We make all parts of the My family has been part of this community for a very long time but my father
mirror in the same workshop. started working as an artisan from the 1970s. Back then, it was a time when the
community of Aranmula Kannadi makers was in decline as the whole business
Have you gotten any special training when it comes to making the had plummeted because of very little interest from the consumer’s side.
mirror? My father, who was a medical representative back then, decided to join the
business and help the family recover from the financial crisis they were having.
We didn’t get any special training when growing up, we just accompanied our He decided to market the craft through the newspaper and small magazines
family members into the workshop and picked up these skills over the years in the area and this helped bring more interest to the store and the entire craft
and now, all of us can handle every single side of mirror making. However, after once more and we slowly started to get orders once again and the business
the flood happened, the government had organized training only for women really started growing again in the 1990s.
artisans where we were asked to make many different kinds of designs.
Does everyone currently in your family practice this craft? How
Is there a hierarchy between the craftsmen? many members are involved in this craft?

There’s nothing like that, family members interested in the craft are always No, I’m the only one involved in running the business. I have a sister who helps
welcome in the workshop to learn and obtain skills necessary for handling

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from time to time our shop got exposed to more customers and we got more orders. At present,
the workshop has 4 artisans who work here and we are in no talks of hiring more
Do you plan to train your children in this traditional handicraft? or expanding because we get very little orders these days. We do have a small
website to help with online exposure and orders.
Honestly, I really cannot tell because it depends on their interest. I’m not sure
they have that yet. If they do have it in the future, they can definitely take over the How many mirrors do artisans in your shop make per day? Have
business and drive it forward or go their own way. the orders increased or decreased recently?

What is your current monthly income? We were able to make 30 mirrors per week before the pandemic but now, it
really depends on the orders that we get. It can range from 10-30 mirrors a
It depends on the orders the shop gets. During the pandemic, this whole year we week. The number of orders have drastically decreased.
have sat for almost 6 months with nothing to do. However, before the pandemic,
all staff in the workshop was paid 900 rs every day and we used to employ 8 What are the different types of mirrors you make?
people in the business back then but now we only have 3 people working here
as we only have that much work to do. We make mirrors that range from the 1.5 -10 inch sized Valkannadi or hand
mirrors and these are the mirrors we have on sale right now. The cost can go up
How many months in a year is this craft practised? to 50,000 rs and customers can order any time of design they wish to.

Currently, because of the pandemic and the lockdowns imposed, our workshops Usually, what are the most common designs engraved on the
have been closed for a large part of the year but we slowly start operations mirror?
whenever we get an order. Before the pandemic, we had the most work for the
2-3 months that follow after the onam celebrations in august. The engravings in the mirror really depend on the order we receive. Common
designs in the mirror include things like flowers, the sun, the moon, animals like
During which months of the year was there the highest demand a peacock or elephant as the frame and symbols of god. However, we get really
for the mirror? Can you talk about the operations of the business? excited when we have to design and create mirrors that are out of the ordinary.

We used to get the most number of orders during the onam season. At that What are the new techniques that have been developed in
time, there were so many people taking part and celebrating through different the craft?
events like the onam sadhya or the infamous Aranmula boat race, so naturally,

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We follow the old, traditional way of crafting our mirrors so no new techniques presence and so, we give importance to it. We have placed someone incharge
have been developed and introduced in the field. However, we have and continue that helps with online communication and talking to and receiving orders from
to design and introduce new models. customers and our business is growing fast online.

How do you check the quality of your mirrors? Where do you procure your main raw materials from?

Quality check is manually done after every single step of the mirror making There is a town nearby called Mannar, it is a place where these materials are
process. We had formed a society that decided on creating a hologram sticker sold, Sadly, these materials have become very costly after the start of the
as a mark of authenticity for each mirror. This hologram consists of our family pandemic. We still buy our materials from Mannar but are on the lookout for
name and the shop’s name and other details and can be found on the back of sellers that we can get materials for cheap from.
the mirror.
Do you get any subsidy from the government while procuring
Who or what decides the pricing of your products? raw materials?

The price of the craft solely depends on the mirror attached to the frame. As its No, we don’t.
size increases, the price also increases.
What is the biggest problem artisans encounter within the field?
Who are your main buyers?
When making the Aranmula mirror, the biggest difficulty we have to face is
Our main buyers are people from Kerala. Before the pandemic we also used to the dust and the subsequent dust allergy all of us get. During the process of
receive a large number of orders from foreigners and Indians living overseas but creating the mirror, tasks like melting and moulding, polishing the mirror and
the number has drastically decreased after the pandemic hit us. cutting the brass frames all send dust flying into the air. This dust is invisible to
the naked eye so it easily enters into our nose and falls on our skin. This leads
How do you sell/promote your craft? Do you have an online us to developing skin and dust allergies. We make sure to minimise this by
presence?/ How do you sell your crafts? using masks and gloves and thoroughly washing our hands whenever we get
the chance to. A special mixture called ‘Klav’ is also used to shampoo our hair,
Mainly, the mirrors are sold directly through the shop we have here. However, we it appears green in colour and that is what we always use.
do have a small online website. We didn’t get a lot of orders through it back then
but now, I’ve realised that for my business to grow, it needs to have an online Do you have any migrant workers that have started to

CRAFT DOCUMENTATION ∙ ARTISAN INTERVIEW 78

work in Aranmula? handle clients???

We have brought in some workers that specialize in moulding from Hyderabad. We have international clients reach us through our website and place their order
They handle moulding the brass frames when we have to use the box casting through it and we ship internationally.
process. These workers have been employed by various workshops all
over Aranmula. Are there any government initiatives directly linked to your craft?

What are the other crafts practised in Aranmula? No, there isn’t any other than the government organized training that happened
after the floods.
Aranmula is a very small place and the only craft cluster present here consists
of artisans that create the ‘Aranmula Kannadi’. How did the flood and COVID-19 affect your handicraft sector?

What kind of business structure do you follow? We are all living through these unprecedented times and all of us have been
hit incredibly hard. It has been quite tough on all of us. When the floods hit, all
All aspects of the business are handled by myself. We have one shop that of the workshops had water completely flood in and destroy all of the mirrors,
exclusively sells variations models of the Aranmula mirror and we also accept materials and tools and we had a huge financial loss. By the time we had barely
custom orders. Customers come directly to the shop to order and collect their started to recover from those losses, COVID-19 hit us. We received no help
mirrors and we also respond to customers that reach us through our website from the government during the floods and only an NGO- Habitat for humanity,
and we courier them the mirror when it’s all done. helped us out by providing us raw materials and tool kits to help rebuild the
business again. We have received no help whatsoever from the government
Are you facing any difficulty in marketing the products? If yes, after being hit by COVID-19.
what are the main reasons?
Is your craft associated with any NGO’s?
I have faced no difficulty marketing the products. I run one shop through which
the business gets an adequate number of orders. Other than having the physical After the floods, we were hit with so much loss however, we received no help
shop, having an online presence through a website has also helped sustain the from the government to get us back on our feet. At that time, an NGO called
business immensely. ‘Habitat for Humanity’ came forward for our aid and helped a few families with
their business.They were able to provide us with raw materials and other help
Can you talk about your international business and how you kits and we are forever grateful towards them.

CRAFT DOCUMENTATION ∙ ARTISAN INTERVIEW 79

What do you think is the future of your craft?

In this situation we are in, nothing can be said so I don’t hold high hopes or
expectations. The craft’’s future isn’t really clear to me and I don’t know what to
think anymore.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Firstly, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to our mentor Anandita Ballal for her continuous support and enthusiasm as she guided us throughout the entire
making of the report.

We would also like to thank the artisans, Mr Aravind Achari and Mrs Sindhu G who so kindly agreed to meet us through video call, helped us know more about the craft and
their current situation and for being patient and immensely understanding with us. We would also like to mention Mr R C Unnithan, marketing head of Aranmulakannadi.org,
and Mrs Smitha Sumod and Mr Ramanathan for helping us contact the artisans and making the interviews happen.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

A mirror reflecting Kerala’s traditions and glorious Aranmula Kannadi - Part2 Aranmula Kannadi Workshop | After 2018 Flood In
past. ARANMULA KANNADI | MIRROR CASTING Kerala
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A survival craft as unique as that of Aranmula Kannadi Aranmula mirrors are getting a makeover, courtesy
About Aranmula of a leading designer

Aranmula glass manufacturing sector in crisis during Aranmula Kannadi Kerala’s metal mirror Aranmulakannadi frame molding murukan R
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Aranmula Kannadi makers back in business, sans Bell Metal Crafts of India
ARANMULA HERITAGE TRUST- Detailed Project much help from govt Bell metal crafts of Sarthebari
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ARANMULA KANNADI MAKING Challenges faced by artisans in developing countries
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Kerala Handicraft Village Aranmula Kannadi Making Process, Cost, Secret,
Price & History
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Aranmula Kannadi Mela in Trivandrum – The Hindu
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Aranmula kannadi Aranmula Kannadi metal mirror of Kerala Damaged workshops, rusty tools: Aranmula mirror
Aranmula Kannadi artisans stare at a bleak future
ARANMULA KANNADI - A Deeper Insight (HD) Aranmula Kannadi Mirror: Secret, Process, and
Aranmula Kannadi - Part1 Method Engaging Livelihood

Aranmula Kannadi Video Created by Biospace Exhibition of Aranmula Kannadi a big draw
Technologies Export of the mirrors

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Family contests GI tag for Aranmula mirror, says their Making of Kannadi mirrors in Aranmula - Kerala rights
formula was leaked Metal Crafts of India – A Malleable Mélange Traditional Crafts of India- An Extensive List
Migrant workers make ‘Aranmula Kannadi’, locals Trust to give Aranmula mirror its sheen back
Famous Handicrafts of Kerala protest Udan Panam l Aranmula Kannadi - Part of Kerala
Mirrored in fake imitations tradition l Mazhavil Manorama
Famous Indian Handicrafts That Carry the Taste of Reviving The Dying Craft Of Aranmula Kannadi Uncertain times ahead for Aranmula Kannadi artisans
Our Culture

Floods threaten to take shine off Kerala’s famed
mirror artisans

Geographical Indication: Challenges and South Indian Handicrafts Why these Aranmula mirrors sell for Rs 1 lakh!
Suggestions A study in context of Aranmula Kannadi Tamil Viswakarma - Their history in Kerala
Handicraft centres The lure of Aranmula Kannadi
Handicrafts of India - A Shopping Guide The true mirror image | TSOI Documentary
Hologram in Aranmula Kannadi THE WONDER METAL MIRROR OF ARANMULA
Hopes and reflections of the Aranmula Kannadi Theme crafts
Indian rural artisans go online under COVID This Mirror Reflects Your Truest Self
Kannadi Making Secrets To form new Scheme to stop manufacture of
Kerala duplicate Aranmula Kannadi

Kerala’s Beautiful Eco-friendly Handicrafts Traditional Aranmula mirror artisans fight for their

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