ISHTIKA (BRICK) Dear friends,
Today my posting is about bricks. While I was re- doing asoak pit before 3 years, to raise the sides, I had purchased bricks. Surplusbricks were neatly kept near sump over the raised bottom of compound wall.Recently during painting of my home, the workers were lavishly using them tofirmly support their high stools. I found how the safely kept bricks wereuseful on another occasion. Now the painting work is over, the bricks are againkept back on the same location, only difference some of them have paint marks. Bricks are used in house construction in Tamilnadu andSouthern and Central Kerala. In North Kerala both the locally available vettukal(cut brick) and bricks are used in construction. I have found in North Keralacut bricks are more heavy and strong comparing to central Kerala. In-factnowadays they are mechanically sawed in North Kerala. Other states may also beusing similar materials. In Chennai nowadays bricks made with concrete are usedfor flats. I have found the same in Bangalore also. Cut Bricks and bricks have standard dimensions. One cutbrick has the size of three bricks placed closely. There was an old posting by me on bricks on22-10-2011. This posting is modified with addition of that posting.Sincerely, Gopala Krishnan 31-3-2022. 1. Ishtika forcompound wall. In central Kerala while I was constructing the home in 1984’s,the more common was cut bricks for walls of the building. It was the practiceto use Ishtika for compound wall alone. The cut bricks obtained hadsufficient strength to support theweight of the roofing with RCC. The cut bricks were priced less and freelyavailable comparing to bricks. In some areas cut bricks are more porous and lightweight. There only bricks are used forconstruction of home with RCC roof. I had my primary education in a schoolconstructed with country bricks and not plastered. However it looked very nice. 2. Introduction ofIshtika for walls. Gradually due to scarcity ofquality cut bricks to support RCC, bricks made in companies were introduced for making walls also. The added advantage was not much finishingrequired and gave more appearance. There was more need of cement mortar forjointing, but comparing to reduction inlabour cost, it was not felt high. On account of it when I made an extension tomy native home, it was made with brick walls. Bricks during construction areused after dipping them in water. It reduced absorbing of more water fromcement motor to bricks. 3. Bricksmanufacturing There are two types of Bricks. One is made in the companieswho were manufacturing tiles earlier. Their finishing was finer. Clay mixed andput in boxes, slightly dried and pressed with mechanical force and arrangedsystematically with company seal impressed on and burnt through heatingarrangements in standard chambers, and they could be used even without cement plaster.It was a fashion to have such finishing to houses during 1990’s in Kerala. Theywere called theikkattha veetu(Not plastered homes). The other type of bricks is locally made using clay mostlyfrom paddy fields. The people could get clay for about 12 feet depth from paddyfields. The bricks were manually made pouring it in moulds and sun dried. Thenthey were again placed in a cubical manner with central space and firewood putin centre and fire applied. Gradually thebricks get burned. After the outer bricks got good brown colour, thefire is putout and the bricks are taken out as required from outside. 3a. half burntbricks There could be a few bricks not burnt fully either insideor outside in the local bricks making. Their colour will not be fully brown. They are called half burnt bricks andsold as it is for a lesser rate. When walls required lesser strength likeasbestos roofing or thatched homes half burnt bricks were sufficient. InTamilnadu I had seen many purchase half burnt bricks for small constructionswhere RCC is not used for roofing. 4. Cookingovens and bricks On those days fire wood was abundant and cheaply available.During preparation of feasts, for making ovens bricks were used placing them ina triangular fashion for keeping of vessels. Different types of ovens were madeplacing bricks in triangles of various sizes. Normally three ovens to the sizecalled Large, medium, small might bethere. Large ovens were used to place bigger vessels like chembu, Uruli etc. Medium ovens were used to placevessels like Kuttakam, Poni etc. Small was used for petty works like coffee,tea preparation, frying etc. 5. Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. I have studied inthe excavations at Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, there was a big city and walls andpavements were made of bricks. This makes me to think, earlier the wider usewas bricks and cut bricks and granite ere later additions. Probably the moreavailability of clay on surface level itself might have been the reason for usingbricks more. 6. Homam andIshtika Our flooring haschanged to tiles/ marble/ granite, to avoid breakage, bricks are placed in asquare arrangement and Homakundam is placed over it. Metal Homa kundams withlegs are available in Chennai Mylapore. In Guruvayoor probably we may be getting in Kerala. InTrivandrum it was not available till I was there. 7. Homa kkuzhi About 10 years back I visited the house of my daughter inlaw’s relative at Karamana gramam, I could see a square hollow area of 1.5 feetx 1.5 feet and depth of about 4” in the Kootam. It was temporarily covered byplacing bricks closely. I was told it was homa kkuzhi, side and bottom finishedwith bricks. I am not sure in Palghat gramam such kootams are there. 8. Kallu vettamkuzhi and Ishtika kkuzhi. Kallu vettaam kuzhi is the place from which bricks are cutfor works and the pit is not filled but maintained as small pond. Kerala beingmostly slope, it was a must too to level ground for home construction, compoundetc. Cutting bricks was a method for making plane. After cutting bricks, the remaining was placed and soil moved from sidesso that it become levelled and not a pit. Ishtika kkuzhi is the paddy fields from where clay is removed. Nowadays theyhave become small ponds. But some are filled bringing soil from other areaswhere to be removed and filled. These areas, unless top levelled with good soil,we cannot grow paddy. But what is felt is in course of time, the soil become well. 9. Nature – It isall providing Depend on our requirement nature provide one thing orother. I have heard in US more wood is used for buildings walls. But using woodis not an imaginable thing in India because of prohibitive cost and scarcity. Now many flats are provided with cement blocks for walls (Not hollow bricks) which go for 15-20 floors. Once mosaic chips and tiles were the flooring item. It gave way to marbles and granites. When theload bearing strength of floor has become a point, tiling has come in flatsflooring which have 1/5th or lesser weight of the granite of thesame size. 10. Pillarconstruction With pillar construction, load bearing has transferred topillars and walls are just for separation. Wall strength has become immaterialand we can see around us big buildings standing on pillars. 11. Soaking bricks In Kerala special porous bricks are made for soak-pits. Ihad an experience soak-pit overflowing in the hostel of the training centrewhere I was working. Immediately contractor was deployed, he took pit about 50feet away and laid pipe from existing one, but soaking bricks were notavailable. He got workers from Tamilnadu to remove the overflowing water, andsolved the problem for two days. Then he got soaking bricks and filled new pit3/4th, and covered. In Tamilnadu there is no separate soaking bricks are made.Normal country bricks broken to two/three pieces are used instead. Countrybricks are more porous than company made bricks. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/255233480.57966.1648695273249%40mail.yahoo.com.
