In Karnataka's Puttur, This Man Has Been Making Sickles Using Pure Iron For 40 Years

Mohammed, a sickle seller of Puttur, Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, India is currently in the headlines. According to Local 18 Karnataka, he has been selling sickles in Puttur for the past 40 years. Most of the natives from Puttur prefer purchasing sickles from him. Mohammed has sickles ranging from Rs 450 to Rs 6,000 and sells only hand-crafted sickles made of pure iron called Milavu. He prepares the wooden handle of the sickle by hand.

According to reports, a festival at Puttur has been going on since 1879 and continues to hold an important legacy even today. This festival takes place every Monday and has also gained immense popularity amongst the people. In this festival, the farmers from Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, and Kodagu (Coorg) parts bring their produce and sell it here. This practice has been going on since time immemorial. Many kinds of business are going on here and one of them is Mohammed’s popular sickle-selling business.

He purchases the sickles made in the Guthigaru area of Sullia (also known as Sulya) a taluk in the Dakshina Kannada district of the state of Karnataka, India. He then sells them at Puttur. On Mondays, the sickle sellers mainly sell these tools that are used for agricultural activities. They have different types of sickles used for cutting grass, chopping tree branches, household use, etc. Customers who reach Puttur are purchasing sickles from here as per their needs.

The sickles made by Mohammed can be used for a long time if handled with care. These tools are also extremely sharp. On the other hand, the sickles sold in some places remain sharp only for a few days after purchase. Then, they lose their sharpness. As seen in Local 18 Karnataka’s visual, social media users can see that Mohammed has no proper shop to assemble the sickles. He sells these tools on footpaths. He wraps them properly in a newspaper and then gives it to the buyer.

A sickle is one of the most common hand tools used for harvesting crops, and grass and cutting other vegetative matters. It consists of a curved steel-edged blade fixed to the wooden handle. The cutting edge may be plain or serrated depending upon the design.