Remember the Kalaiwala? This traditional tradesman made a living by yelling “Kalai! Kalai!” in Mumbai’s poor neighborhoods. Housewives would give him their copper cooking vessels, many over 100 years old, for Kalai Lepa, a traditional treatment that restored their shine after oxidation. I forgot about the ancient Kalaiwala. However, I found a photo of him on the Instagram feed of heritage storyteller Maroof Umar. It brought back memories.
The science was easy. Historically, families utilized copper cooking utensils due to the absence of stainless steel and aluminum. No one imagined non-stick pans with Teflon surfaces. Copper vessels cut fuel costs due to their high conductivity. Oxidation, a chemical reaction with air oxygen, rendered them black. They also left a faint green rust of copper carbonate on the vessels’ surface due to air moisture reaction. It was toxic when combined with food. The Kalaiwala’s role was to prevent this from happening.
I grew up near a Kalaiwala. It was amazing to observe his work. He washed the vessel with caustic soda. He heated it in a trench he dug into the earth using coal. When the vessel glowed, he ran a silver pencil over its surface. Powder it with ammonium chloride.
Wipe it dry with a towel. The surface has a shiny new lining. He dipped the vessel in a bucket of water last. It produces a loud hiss and releases ammonia-scented white smoke. The art of Kalai was disappearing. I doubt the Kalaiwala still exists. The individual was unable to pass the watchman’s cabin at the entrance of guarded, multi-story housing complexes.
About Mark Manuel
The above thoughts/content has been proudly copied from the wall of Sir Mark Manuel. Being interviewing almost every role model of this country and going stronger each day. Mark Manuel is a respected Mumbai editor, writer, and columnist.
With over three decades of journalism in leading publications. This includes the Free Press Journal, Times, Dainik Bhaskar, Mid-Day, and Afternoon. He is famous for his brilliant pen interviews. He himself is a TEDx speaker.
Further
His interviews have been featured in several leading media houses. They include the Hindustan Times, Huffington Post, BBC, and Network 18. Almost every famous person has been interviewed by him in the country from Mother Teresa to Muhammad Ali. His first book is just out. It’s titled Moryaa Re! It is a crime thriller that is perhaps the country’s first police procedural. He began his career covering crime. And in a tribute to his experience and knowledge of this beat.
Several distinguished officers of the Mumbai Police and its Crime Branch collaborated with him to make this book possible. Amitabh Bachchan wrote the forward in a statement of friendship for Mark Manuel and admiration for his work.
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