Out of the limelight

The good old days of quicklime and the art of making it seem to be quickly coming to an end. Thanks to the advent of colourful paints and distempers, which have overshadowed the plain and simple quicklime, the traditional production of quicklime has taken a beating in the State. And, needless to say, those who depend on it for their livelihood are feeling the pinch.

“Few years ago, we were selling quintals of quicklime every month. Nowadays, people are attracted towards distempers and paints. A variety of colourful paints are available in the market and we can’t compete with them. We are considering taking up an alternative livelihood,” laments Gouramma, who has been producing quicklime for more than twenty years and is coming to terms with the new reality.

A resident of Kurubaradoddi village in Kollegal taluk, Gouramma’s whole world revolves around making quicklime. She takes care of all aspects of production and sale — starting from the purchase of limestones to selling of quicklime in villages. Despite slogging through the entire day, doing various tasks, she is unable to make a decent profit.

A form of art

The production of quicklime is no easy task. It begins with the purchase of raw materials from various places. The main ingredient is limestone and it is available in only a select few places. The widespread layer of stone formed under a stream is the key material. The upper layer of the stream bed is dug up to get to it. The limestone is extracted and mixed with three parts of coal. The whole mixture is then poured into a traditional lime kiln. A hole provided below this kiln is used to ignite the lime-coal mixture. After letting the mixture burn for a good 12 to 15 hours, the quicklime is ready for use.

The steep increase in the production cost has made producers give up this job. “For a tractor load of limestone, it costs around Rs 5,000 to 6,000 and the price of coal is also increasing every year. If we want to produce one quintal of quicklime, the total cost would be around Rs 7,000 to 8,000. To sell this lime, we have to go to villages, especially small hamlets. Only the poor and the lower middle class people buy it because it is cheap,” says Shivagangamma, another quicklime producer.

There are a variety of paints and distempers easily available in the market. Along with these, some manufacturing companies are producing scented lime which comes in various attractive colours. This has decreased the demand for traditional lime. “We are selling it cheap, as low as Rs 10 per kilo. But people are not buying it,” says a pained Hanumantha of Ajipura. “We have depended on this job since many generations, but, unfortunately now, the time has come to abandon it,” he says.
While the construction of the kiln, its maintenance, purchase of raw materials and the labour costs are increasing year by year, the demand for quicklime is gradually decreasing.

During the season of traditional festivals and marriages, there was much demand for quicklime, but now modern materials have replaced it. As a result, many villagers have given up making quicklime and have got themselves other jobs. The ruins of the kilns, which can be easily spotted in many villages now, remain a sad reminder of an era gone by.