Iconic Dindigul lock gets GI tag

Описание: Video: G. Karthikeyan
Script: Preethi Ramamoorthy
Voice Over: K Rajashree Das
Production: Sharon Joseph

The Dindigul lock was given the GI tag by the Geographical Indications Registry in Chennai on Thursday. The application for the lock was made by the Dindigul Lock, Hardware and Steel Furniture Workers Industrial Co-operative Society Limited.

The famous Dindigul locks are known throughout the world for their superior quality and durability, so much so that even the city is called Lock City.

The abundance of iron in this region is the reason for the growth of the lock-making industry.

Though machine-made locks are easily available, government institutions like prisons, godowns, hospitals and even temples use the older pattern locks. These lock manufacturing units are limited to an area of 5 km in and around Dindigul. There are over 50 varieties of locks made by the artisans.

But over the last few years, this industry has been slowly dying due to competition from Aligarh and Rajapalayam. Marketing these locks has also been a challenge. A. Premkumar, a third-generation lock maker, who runs Jegankumar Industries in Nagal Nagar, said, “The lock industry in Dindigul is focussed [more] on quality than production (referring to quantity). Aligarh replicates mechanisms from here but produces in large quantities. The GI tag will help people differentiate Dindigul locks from others.” He added that several people have moved away from the craft due to meagre wages and waning demand.

Currently, this industry is worth over ₹20 crore per annum.