Honour for two veteran craftsmen of a vanishing trade in Keralam’s Malappuram

Before machines took over timber sawing, two men and a long saw could turn a giant tree into planks for houses and granaries. The work demanded strength, skill and perfect coordination.

Once a familiar sight in villages across Keralam, this traditional craft is fading from memory. Re-Echo, a cultural organisation based at Tirunavaya in Malappuram, honoured two veteran sawyers to recognise their contribution and preserve the memory of a vanishing trade.

Both men, known as Kunhapputty, began working as timber sawyers at the age of 14. One is Moideenkutty from Karathur, and the other Mohammedkutty from Thekkan Kuttoor. They began their careers earning just four annas a day, equivalent to 25 paise.

In those days, large trees in forests, remote villages and hilltops had to be cut and shaped where they stood. With no vehicles to transport the timber, workers relied on handcarts to move it along rough roads to Kuttippuram railway station. From there, railway wagons carried the timber to markets in Chennai.

The sawing process required two workers to operate a long saw from different levels. One stood on an elevated wooden frame while the other worked from the ground, pulling and pushing the saw in rhythm. Heavy logs were lifted and positioned using their shoulders and wooden supports, tasks now performed by JCBs and cranes.

The two men recalled transporting timber by handcart across the sandy stretches of the Bharathapuzha river from Tirunavaya to Punnayurkulam in Thrissur district.

They once processed an enormous mango tree, measuring six and a half feet in girth, at Azhvanchery Mana. They prepared timber for the Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology at Tavanur. Their work also took them to places like Palakkad, Wayanad, Kannur, Perumbavoor, Kottayam and Kollam.

Their craft served other needs too. Farmers collected mango-tree sawdust, soaked it in water and used it as manure. The sawyers also received gifts and money during the traditional ceremony of placing the main roof beam, or utharam, in a new house.

With the spread of sawmills, the occupation gradually declined. Many abandoned it, but the two Kunhapputtys adapted to machinery and continued working in separate sawmills, where they remain employed today.

Anniversary celebrations

As part of its anniversary celebrations, Re-Echo felicitated the men through ‘Naadinte naalvazhikal: a historical re-reading’, an initiative to preserve local history and pass it on to younger generations. Puchangal Abubacker, who has preserved a traditional long saw, was also felicitated.

Re-Echo president Poovathinkal Rasheed presided over the function. Sageer Vellakkat, general secretary of Naps, an organisation of antique collectors, inaugurated the event.

The long saw may have disappeared from many timber yards, but the lives of these two men preserve the story of a craft that helped build Keralam before machines took over.