Venkateshwera Mould Bricks

Out here in Govindapura, near the Jadeganahalli Post, we spend our days making mould bricks. We’re located on the Malur Main Road in the Hosakote Taluk. It’s a rural area, so we have plenty of space for the brick moulds and the large piles of raw materials. The work is very physical. We spend hours bending over, filling moulds, and then turning them out to dry. The sun is our best friend and our worst enemy depending on the time of day. When it’s too hot, the bricks dry fast, but it’s hard on the workers. When it rains, everything has to be covered up quickly so the wet bricks don’t turn back into mud. We aren't a high-tech factory. Most of what we do is done by hand or with very simple machinery. People from across the Taluk come to us when they are building small houses or farm sheds. We usually have tea together while discussing how many loads they need. Our records are kept in a simple notebook rather than a fancy computer system. It’s a bit old-fashioned, but it’s how we’ve always done it. There’s a lot of sweat and dust involved in making these bricks, but seeing a finished wall made from our bricks makes it feel like we did something useful. We just keep our heads down and focus on getting the work done every day until it's time to head home.