Chennai: Chalk pieces form an important part of school and college education and chalks can rekindle nostalgic memories for any student any given day. From hiding the chalk during class hours to attempting to write in chalks on the board there are several memories around chalk pieces. However, the production of chalks came to a grinding halt when the Centre announced a country-wide lockdown to curb the spread of novel coronavirus in March last year.
The sudden announcement made several members lose their jobs in the chalk industry and made people to migrate to other daily wage works to help their respective families. However, all these members and families are soon going to stand back on their feet as chalk productions have resumed with schools reopening for Class 9-12 in several states from September 1.
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According to a report in ABP Nadu, even though smart classes have become a norm, the reopening of schools have increased the demand for chalk pieces. Hence, the people of rehabilitation centres for displaced citizens in Dindigul have started making chalk pieces and are selling them to schools and colleges of Dindigul, Theni, Madurai, Trichy, Salem and Coimbatore. The cottage industry has given employment to several hundreds of people.
The chalks are packed in boxes with numbers ranging from 100, 120 and 140 and the chalks are sold for Rs 15 to 19 per piece. A chalk piece box with 36 pieces is sold for Rs 450. Till now, the state School Education Department is not involved in direct procurement of the chalks and the work has been trusted with the school headmaster. So, the industry people are not receiving regular orders but they still hope that their lives will soon turn colourful like the chalks they are producing now.