Sivagangai: 18-foot aruval to adorn hand of village deity

Sivagangai: Karthi Lakshmanan, 29, is a very happy man, also very busy. His latest piece of art-in-steel, an 18-feet aruval, is shaping up pretty well; its black blade glistening bright and the long edge very sharp. Soon the 'weapon' will adorn the hand of village deity Maranadu Karuppanasami in a place near Thirupachethi about 40 km from Sivaganga.

"We have been working on this aruval for the last 20 days. It will be ready in a couple of days and I will keep my promise to deliver it on July 25", Karthi told Deccan Chronicle while sweating it out, along with his two assistants,  on this Rs 25,000 project assigned by a local Venugopal, who has a business establishment in Singapore.

The young bachelor, hailing from a traditional blacksmith family that has been supplying various farm implements such as spades, crowbars and aruvals, believes that Karuppanasami's blessings has now got him his bride; the wedding is happening next month. "I am continuing our family vocation as blacksmith. My grandfather and father were popular with the farmers in this region", Karthi said, insisting that the family "never made any weapons for fights and gang wars".

"We have also been making large aruvals for the deities, mostly about 18-feet long. Each could weigh as much as 200 kilos. We make them in three pieces which are joined up before delivery. We would need about 20 people to life it and load it on the truck", Karthi said, adding, "There is no profit motive in these temple projects, only devotion. We take only vegetarian food until we deliver the aruval, even our womenfolk follow strict discipline (abstinence)".

Karthi and family are the busiest aruval-makers in the region as most village temples there have been created by these traditional craftsmen. "We had done an 18-ft aruval for AIADMK legislator Melur Sami to adorn the shrine of his family deity, Pathinettampadi Karuppasami, near Alagarkoil", said the cheerful youngman.

"My elder brother had done MBA and works abroad. I did not try all that as I wanted to preserve our family's blacksmith tradition. I gain immense satisfaction when I see so many farmers using our tools, and when I pass by a village deity holding our aruval proudly in his decorated hand", Karthi said.