Murugesan Brick

Murugesan Brick is situated at 5/78 on the Karambakudi Road in Kallangudi. It’s a busy area and the road sees a lot of traffic throughout the day. We are a family business, and we’ve been operating out of this yard for a long time. My father started it and now we are the ones keeping it going. The work is physical and we are out in the sun for most of it. We make the bricks the old-fashioned way, mostly by hand. The yard is usually filled with rows of bricks drying out. It takes a lot of patience to get everything right, especially when the weather isn't cooperating. Sometimes the humidity is too high and things take forever to set. We don’t have a big marketing budget or a fancy sign out front. Most of our customers are local people from Kallangudi who have known us for years. They just stop by when they are starting a new project. We have a small shed where we keep the books and take our tea breaks. It's not the cleanest place because of all the clay and dirt, but it works for us. We try to be fair with everyone who comes through. Dealing with the suppliers for the firewood for the kiln is often the most stressful part of the job. Other than that, it’s just a steady routine of molding, drying, and firing. We just focus on doing our work day by day and getting the batches finished.