The
hard work and creative bent of mind of our ancestors has left a mark in the
history of South Kanara. The agrarian society of 19th century walked
an extra mile and witnessed the changes of the time. The People of Tulunadu in the
country side were making handicrafts which supported their livelihood. The need
for cottage industries such as goldsmith, blacksmith, carpentry, pottery making
and stone cutting stones always helped them to depend on hard work and self-reliance.
This great virtue of the people took them ahead in their life. The pottery
makers kept flourishing in their pace. Over the years men from Dakshina Kannada
learnt the art of tiles making and started specializing in it.
The
arrival of Basel Mission was a blessing to the people of South Kanara. By
reading the science of the time they established some tiles manufacturing factories. The art of tiles making could already predict
its future. Peter Wilson Prabhakar talks about tiles in his articles on ‘Tile
Industry.’ He said, “Tile is thin flat slab, usually of burnt clay, glazed or
unglazed, used either structurally or decoratively in building. The usage of the
word “tile” varies widely in connection with roofing.”
‘Nada
Hanchu’ (made in traditional wheel and frames) is a sort of tile that is used
for roofing. This tile is what called ‘The Mangalore Tiles.’ Since the Basel
Mission explored and succeeded in manufacturing tiles using new model the
credit goes to them. They also established tile’s factory in Kudroli and Malpe
which is the Northern part of South Kanara as a branch of Jeppu Tile Factory.
To our great surprise, the stunning stats that the book ‘Poli’ gives as the
annual tile production rose up to 60 crores. This is to say that it provided
employment for nearly 25,000 people. These interesting stats helps to perceive
the way the tile industry grew in South Kanara of Tulunadu. By making
revolution in making variety of tiles Mangalore has earned the name, “Mangalore
Tiles.”
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