RENOWNED MASONS

Devassy and Anthony of Kelanthara were the renowned masons of this locality. They were stoneworkers and learnt the trade while building the military barracks and officer’s quarters at Naval Base. When they mastered the work they started to take house construction works in this locality. Their tools which included the blocking chisel, hammer, levels, plumb with line, mason’s line, and brushes. I have watched them at work. The hard labour of cutting and shaping of laterite stones into a particular rectangular shape and size requires skill and expertise. These huge laterite stones were used for laying the foundation of buildings. They also come in handy in the construction of pillars and walls. Later bricks too were used instead of laterite stones for pillars and walls. I watched Devassy filling the mortar (a pounded mixture of gravel and Calcium hydroxide) so meticulously without leaving any gap in between the bricks. He used to mix cement only for plastering. Anthony, his brother, though very erratic, was a quick in masonry work.

It was in the sixties of the twentieth century the people of this locality started using granite foundations for buildings. The usage of cement also gradually became popular. It was Devassy who introduced the concrete beams and concrete roof tops in our Island. A lot of apprentices joined him to learn the work. A few of them cribbed that they were not getting enough stipend. When I mentioned it to Ammachi, she told me, “In all the skilled jobs the novice need not expect any remuneration for their nominal services. His aim should be to keenly attend to the work and learn the skill as soon as he can.” It is only when he proves to his master that he is indispensable that his master pays him well. At this point he is also competent enough to be an independent worker. Shouri Thekkayil, one of his best apprentices, was a person, who really enjoyed his work. He must have been getting great satisfaction from his work.  Jacob and I used to appreciate his dedication. I sensed that he believed in excellence in his works much more than the monetary benefit he derived from it. The two pillars on which he drew the design of marble and then finished it in white cement looked like polished marble pillars. Another two pillars he plastered in dark rose colour with the wood design which was finished in coloured cement looked exactly like rosewood pillars, one of his masterpieces. In due course Shourie became a master with a good work force with him. He got many contracts for such work. His son, Jaison Thekkayil too is a veteran in design plastering work.

Santhosh Kunnumkal is another dependable   worker in concrete roof and pillar works.

Some of the masons like Pappy Kelanthara, Sudhan and Sunni Chirayil, Kishore Karikkanthara and Sudhakaran Vazhavelil are engaged in laying marble, granite and vitrified tiles and polishing it for modern buildings.

Excerpts from

MEMOIRS

An autobiography

by

Joseph J. Thayamkeril

Lawyer, Kochi, Kerala, India.

josephjthayamkeril.blogspot.com
josephjthayamkeril@gmail.com