At a corner of the large workshop, Rajendran and Gopalakrishnan are carefully fabricating a huge bell. While Rajendran chisels the outer surface of the bell, Gopalakrishnan slowly rotates the shaft where it is fixed. The time is ten past two and they are yet to have lunch.
“Chiselling is done at a stretch to make the surface even. This is one of the different stages in the making of a bell,” Rajendran says without raising his head.
The two men are among the current generation of the traditional craftsmen of Mannar, a place known for metal crafts. The small town located on the banks of river Pamba falls in the Mavelikkara Lok Sabha constituency.
Politics and elections hardly amuse Rajendran.
“I don’t have any like or dislike for political parties. In fact, life has been the same under all governments. All I know is that I should work for a living,” he says.
Unlike Rajendran, Gopalakrishnan is a keen observer of state and national politics. “I’m not a party member but am interested in politics. Newspapers update me on new developments,” he says.
The metal industry of Mannar is declining as youngsters in traditional craftsmen families look for other comfortable jobs.
“This is a hard job and most of us don’t want our children to take it up. I don’t want my son to toil in this dust and heat. And unlike us, the children are highly educated and will explore other options,” Rajendran points out.
The industry can be rejuvenated if the state and central governments take earnest steps, believes Gopalakrishnan. “Governments should provide funds for workers’ cooperatives to establish modern workshops. The Mudra Loan Scheme is a welcome initiative but the amount is inadequate. It will be good if the state government comes up with an add-on scheme,” he says.
The Mavelikkara seat, reserved for candidates from the Scheduled Caste, is witnessing a tight contest this time. The incumbent is senior Congress leader Kodikunnil Suresh, a seven-time MP seeking a fourth term from the constituency. After the delimitation exercise in 2008, Suresh had comfortable wins from the seat in 2009, 2014 and 2019. The LDF has fielded newcomer C A Arunkumar, a leader of the All India Youth Federation, the CPI’s youth wing. The NDA candidate is Baiju Kalasala, a former Congressman who is now a leader of the BDJS.
Areas under three districts -- Alappuzha, Kollam and Kottayam -- fall under the constituency and the candidates have to win the confidence of diverse segments ranging from the paddy farmers of Kuttanad to the cashew workers in Kottarakkara and the rubber farmers.
Unlike the sleepy Mannar, campaigning appears to be more intense in Kottarakara. Compound walls in rural areas too are full of posters. And the cashew workers show more interest in politics than the craftsmen of Mannar. But the once robust cashew industry too is in a crisis, with a loss of income because of inadequate workdays being a major worry.
Thankam, a cashew worker at Kottarakara, says earnings from the job is quite low to meet her requirements.
“I’ve been doing this for the past 20 years. In the beginning, the income from this job and my husband’s income as a daily wager helped us build a modest house and lead a decent life. But things have changed now,” she says.
Thankam and many of her colleagues suffer from occupational health problems.
“Hours of continuous work has made us sick. I’ve backache and knee pain, besides skin-related problems,” she says.
She hopes the new government at the Centre will take steps to increase workdays and hike the pension for cashew workers.
In Kuttanad, paddy farmers are unhappy over the issues related to the government’s procurement programme. Some of them, like 45-year-old Sathi of Manakkachira, say the delay in payment has put them in a debt trap. “When the payment is delayed, we are forced to depend on lenders to source money for the next season. Already, the problems connected to climate change have affected yield,” he points out.
People like him will be forced to quit farming if the procurement crisis is not solved, Sathi warns.
Kurian, a small-time rubber farmer in Chengannur, wants the candidates to reveal their plans for those of his ilk.
“Rubber farmers are a distressed lot. We are a sizeable electorate in the constituency. The candidates should tell us how their parties would revive the sector if voted to power,” he says.
The sector’s decline started with trade liberalisation policies, Kurian says.
“Governments at the state and Centre are neglecting our plight. The minimum support price given by the state government is quite inadequate,” he stresses.
Interestingly, this is the first general election after the Kerala Congress (M) switched over to the LDF from the UDF. With the party having a large number of supporters in areas like Changanassery, Chengannur and Pathanapuram, the people in the constituency are keeping their fingers crossed to see which way the votes swing.