A peek into Handcrafted tiles of Athangudi
Building a house as per need is a dream of many. The choices are many. In the modern times, 3 D designs, Granites, oxide flooring in different shades, Marbles and Italian flooring is choice of many and architects recommend it. Flooring which is a important element which enhances the beauty of the house. If you are a bit artistic & think different to beautify your walking space with less maintainence. Then here is a option for you..............
Vishwanath Radhakrishna 
Constructing a house is a dream of every individual.A common proverb that relates to building a house and marriage is: "A marriage is like building a house; it takes time, effort, and a solid foundation to last.".When it comes to flooring, the choice is upteen and never ending.For those who like articles handmade bit aesthetic feeling with varied options and eco friendly then, no other than choice for you
Athangudi would be first choice
Athangudi tiles are handcrafted tiles with earthy base colors. They come in exquisite designs and carry pride of chettinad culture. These tiles are one of a kind and are named after this small village Athangudi where they originated and manufactured even today.
Being in the hospitality industry and traveling,I myself got an opportunity to explore the various types of culture and explore living spaces.The simple and aesthetic features stole my heart. Athangudi, was one worth mentioning.
During my stay in Chettinad Mansion, I got an opportunity to visit the Village by tuk tuk...
A small village in Tamilnadu which is now in the international trade.The tiles here are handcrafted with earthy base colors. They come in exquisite designs and are the highlight of chettinad culture. These tiles are one of a kind and are named after this small village Athangudi where they are made.
Simple Engineering. How do they do it ...
Typically made on a square sheet of glass as base ( which is removed later), with colored oxide solution, these tiles are a work of art. It had been on my bucket list since a long time, ever since i knew about Chettinad.The was blown by its appearance.Its choice as a art and connousiers of art.Its extinction due to its low production and choices !
The moment we stepped into the workshop, we were welcomed by a smile. Without any prompting or asking,the women folk demonstrated the making of tile,one design after the other and patiently answered all our questions.
The flexibility, and agility with which his hands moved showed his expertise in the craft. Muthumma has been involved in the making for more than 20 years.She makes out 200 tiles per day all handcrafted with no machines whatsoever involved. When asked if working with bare hands on materials like Cement and oxides did not cause problems for her hands.
She said earlier during the rainy season they do get a burning sensation.But now they use gloves for safety !
A few years back this was a dying industry but now Muthumma says ' there are more than 100 tile making units in Athangudi now across the village there is more demand for these tiles than before. We have more work to do than before.They take pre orders and even export, there is a huge demand in foreign countries.A helper removed a tile from the stack and showed a new design that they were working on !
These tiles are durable and it gains more sheen with passage of time and maintenance is also low.All one needs is to rub the floor maybe a couple of times in a year with Thengai enne she added i.e. coconut oil. Muthumma even suggested using coconut gratings in a cloth and rubbing over the tiles to make it look elegant.
The raw materials used in the making is cement, sand and the solution of red oxide, blue oxide etc.These solutions are a mixture of the colored oxides, known as kola maavu ( rangoli powder), white cement and water The base colors are 6, the above 4 colors, green and black. And from these 6 colors another 6 shades of colors are built. So totally athangudi tiles can have 12 vibrant colors.The combination of these with geometrical shapes makes Athangudi tile eyecatching !
If u have a dream of building a house for you !. When it comes to decide on floor.
Dont brush through catalogues !
Think of Athangudi. The choice is yours.
