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Who is the City? Walk II - Karamana

A walk to the building material salvage market of Karamana
26th August 2017, 4pm
Written by: Ar. Taniya Grace Joshua (participant)
The walk to the material salvage market of Karamana on 26th August 2017 by a group of 6 architects headed by Dr. Soumini Raja, opened a new window of thought into the formation and existence of the material salvage market at the place.
The market on first appearance organises itself as a series of neatly arranged workshops trading in the same business of re-usable building materials- wood and/or metal. Initial explorations of the area and comprehension after talks with the shop owners, revealed that the business at the place was quite a new establishment with the oldest shops not dating beyond 15years past. Further the group was made aware of the residential settlement existing behind these closely placed shops.
Historically, the area of settlement was a ‘kuthiralayam’ (royal stable), and later had come together under the ownership of one single person. The land was gradually encroached by the current tenants under the name of ‘Kunjalamoodu Palivilaham Pureedam’ after the death of the rightful owner. Therefore the entire area still holds a single proof of ownership inspite of the 60 families residing in the area and calling it home. These families are all related to each other and prefer to live together as a single settlement as it provides them with a better social security as compared to anywhere else.
In the beginning, the salvage business had started off on a small scale by one or two persons, after retrofitting their own homes into shops. Here they brought in salvage wood, furniture and metal from houses set to be demolished. These materials were bought by prospective builders who couldn’t afford new materials or by those who desired an antique appearance to their construction. The place became frequented by the poor due to the availability of materials at a low cost. The thriving business at the place encouraged more people from the settlement to venture into the same business and establish workshops at the same place. They all believed that they could transform the place into a one stop destination for the salvage business.
Today the building material salvage market at Karamana has exceeded its initial expectations and they now obtain feasible salvage materials through auctions too. A few of them obtain the materials and re-design them for new use. There exists only healthy co-operation and no competition between the shops. The shop owners patiently wait for customers to enter their own shop and do not try to disturb the other’s business. This has therefore made a chain of salvage businesses operating successfully in the area.
The area thus celebrates a thriving market of salvage materials. The focussed business market has already taken firm roots and continues to be adopted by successive generations of the settlement, and thereby promising a still expanding network of same.






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