Mangalore, June 16: It's not yet time to write an ode to Mangalore tiles. Despite them having disappeared from rooftops as roofing tiles, they are now being preferred for insulation roofing.
But this has not exactly translated into business for tile factories here as old tiles from demolished buildings are also being used for insulation roofing. While first class tiles still have good demand, the second to fourth grade tiles with minor defects have not many takers.
The major reasons are non-availability of labour, raw materials plus the advent of apartment culture.
George Albuquerque Pai, proprietor, A. Albuquerque & Sons, said that though first class tiles, which cost around Rs 8-10 have demand, the third and fourth variety costing between Rs 3.50 and Rs 6, have been piling up at his stock yard. The tile factory was established in 1868 by Alex Pai (Albuquerque) of Pejavar.
Sujir Ramachandra Nayak, proprietor, Sujirkars Tiles, said that there was a slump in the market for the roof tiles as tiles from old buildings were being used. "Though there were 42 factories not so long ago, now there were only 12, which worked at 40-60% their capacity,'' says Nayak, whose factory was established in 1918.
Pai and Nayak said that at its peak, the industry with 42 factories in operation in Mangalore were manufacturing close to 7.5 crore tiles per year. "Now it's just 2.5 crore and the industry finds it difficult to market them, barring the first class,'' said Nayak.
About three decades back, Mangalore tiles had so much demand that the area from Car Street to Sultan Battery, a distance of 4 km, had 11 tile factories. Only two survive now.
Rajendra Kalbavi, project director, D K Nirmithi Kendra, who still builds low-cost tiled houses with concrete rafters, said the major shift to slabs by people as it offers security was the reason for the trend. "People who build houses with sloping roof use tiles for thermal insulation and to stop leakages. Those who have flat slabs do not prefer it. Also there is maintenance aspect (replacing broken tiles) for which you don't get labour here,'' he said.
Albuquerque Pai used to manufacture 25,000 tiles per day and now it is about 15,000. "The lack of government patronage in going for asbestos or other type of roofing instead of tiles for low-cost houses has resulted in this situation,'' lamented Pai.
The tile industry in the coast is almost 140 years old and during its zenith in the 1880s, numerous factories used to manufacture close to 8-10 lakh tiles a day. It was introduced in this region by German Missionary George A Plebot in 1865 after he found that large clay deposits were available. Not only the tile industry provided employment, it also provided a leak-proof roof above the heads. British were patrons of this tile industry and the one of the state buildings to use these tiles was the old Victoria Railway Terminus in Mumbai.
"Mangalore was the birth place of tiles and the tiles were used all over India hence were known as Mangalore tiles. The environment __ like the waterways for transportation of clay and tiles, superior quality clay, cheap and skilled labour and availability of firewood __ was conducive for the growth of the industry. Not any longer.''
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