Not long ago I had to vacate our ancestral building as it was to be demolished to give way to an apartment complex. During the clearing process I had to dispose of a number of things which were somewhat outdated.
These household articles which were once the favourites of my forebears stood testimony to the care with which they were maintained over the years. They made me recall across a gulf of seven decades the periodic visits to our house of Munusamy, the frail re-tinner of brass vessels, and Khadar, the burly cotton-mattress maker. They were among the traditional artisans who helped our household in maintaining things in good condition.
Long before stainless steel vessels came into the market, it was brass, copper, bronze and aluminum utensils that were used in our households. Brass and copper vessels, however, needed a tin coating (kalai) inside them and the coating had to be done periodically.
