The Aranmula Mirror, a metallurgical marvel and GI-protected centuries-old Kerala handcraft whose priceless pieces adorn the British Museum and Buckingham Palace, is now threatened by the consequences of climate change. According to the craftsmen, the 2018 floods and the heavy rainfall events that continue to plague Kerala have depleted a critical raw material — the clay from the river Pamba’s basin — required to manufacture the castings that make the one-of-a-kind handcraft. The metal alloy mirror, known as the Aranmula Kannadi (mirror) in Malayalam since it is a product of the temple town of Aranmula in Pathanamthitta district, was issued a geographical indicator tag in 2004-2005 for its extreme exclusivity. The artisans who produce the true-reflection mirror are now having difficulty sourcing the required clay, as the area’s floods and landslides in recent years have affected the chemical and physical features of the soil in Aranmula Village.
The soil quality has changed since the 2018 floods. Previously, we would collect topsoil from the fields to construct the mirror casts. Now we have to dig deeper to get the soil we need, and even that is of poor quality, according to Manoj S, who has been producing Aranmula Mirrors for 20 years. The Kerala Soil Survey Department also confirms changes in the chemical and physical qualities of the soil in Kerala’s flood-affected districts. Topsoil erosion and silt deposits caused by flash floods could be a big issue in regions such as Aranmula. If these places are flooded again, more silt will be deposited, and contaminants may modify the soil’s properties further. Despite the fact that the Soil Survey Department has been investigating the worsening of soil quality throughout Kerala as a result of the floods and the consequences of climate change, they have yet to address the concerns of the Aranmula mirror workers.
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