Making inroads into folk domain, migrant workers in Kerala are now making the famous 'Aranmula Kannadi' mirror, which until recently was a local art, leading to protest by its traditional practitioners.
The handmade alloy mirror 'Aranmula Kannadi', considered sacred and a heritage symbol in the southern state, which earlier this month received global attention when Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented it to his British counterpart David Cameron's wife during his UK visit.
A section of traditional craftsmen, who for generations have been indulging in making of the mirror, alleged that migrant workers from Andhra Pradesh are now being engaged in its making.
According to R Murugan, a craftsman from Aranmula, a sleepy village in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district, traditional makers were being denied the right to practice their craft in the name of geographical indication (GI) and patent rights while migrant workers are engaged in the making of the mirror.
"A police case was registered against me for making the mirror recently. The complaint against me was that I defied the patent rules," he told PTI.
"I was told that the patent for making aranmula mirrors rests with a society named Viswabrahmana Aranmula Metal Mirror Nirman Society," 32-year-old Murugan, who is credited with making the smallest (2 cm) aranmula mirror, told PTI.
Members of the Vishwakarma families are makers of the metal mirrors and secrecy is maintained to this date on the exact metals used in the alloy.
The mirrors are part of Kerala's rich tradition and have great historical and cultural value. They are considered one among the eight auspicious items or 'ashtamangalayam' that make up a Kerala bride's trousseau.
Master craftsman K G Mohanan Achary, who had trained
several craftsmen at a government appointed training centre, said traditional craftsmen are being insulted and not being allowed to work.
At least 90 per cent of the traditional craftsmen have been trained under him, the 72-year-old Achary said.
To highlight their plight, the craftsmen made the mirrors in front of the secretariat recently in full public view.
"This is a divine skill which my grand uncle and I have inherited from our forefathers. We are being insulted," Murugan said, adding, he and his family, including his two young children, are on the brink of starvation.
Stating that their shop has been closed since the past two months, he said, "we are not being allowed to work. Our family has been engaged in making the mirrors for over 60 years. We have been demanding that workers from other states not be allowed in this field."
Though young persons from the Vishwakarma community are interested in taking up the profession, they are not being given opportunity to work, he claimed.
"Our right to livelihood and right to work is being denied," he said.
Murugan said a police case was filed against him and other craftsmen protesting against migrant workers being used.
Though he has made a representation to the Pathanamthitta district collector, there has been no response, he claimed.
