Handmade Stone Carving

We are out on East Coast Road. It's right near the Dhakshin Chitra Museum in Muttukadu. If you're driving past, you probably see us working outside. Most days are spent with hammers and chisels. It gets dusty here. We handle a lot of stone, mostly local stuff. It's hard work but we've been at it for a while now. Some days the weather is hot, especially being so close to the coast. The workshop is simple. People stop by when they see the carvings sitting out front. We aren't doing anything fancy with computers or machines. It's just hands and tools. Every piece takes time. Sometimes a stone breaks or doesn't look right, so we start over. That's just how it goes with this kind of work. The museum nearby brings in some folks who are interested in traditional things. We mostly just keep to ourselves and get the jobs done. If someone needs a specific shape or a figure for their garden, we look at the block of stone and see what can be done. It isn't a fast process. You can hear the chipping sound from the road. Most of us here grew up learning how to move the heavy blocks without hurting our backs. It’s just what we do every day. Nothing more, nothing less. We keep a few finished pieces near the entrance so people can see the texture.