Locked Out - The tale of the Dindigul Lock Makers

Cops and robbers make interesting stories. The more fascinating ones are locks and thieves especially when this lock has a hundred year old history. Dindigul’s unique industry is today locked away in the past where the flourishing industry with more than 250 units in its heyday has now dwindled down to just seven.

The locks have fascinating names and each lock has a special characteristic that is a story in itself. If the saavipudi poottu is opened with the wrong key the lock will get jammed and the lock would be rendered useless putting the thief and the owner in despair. 

The last generation of Dindigul’s lock makers seems to be locked into gloominess. The reason aptly summed up by Mr. Gani who earns Rs300 to Rs350 a day. He laments “Wages are better in the construction industry but I cannot move out of lock-making.” 

Learn more about these fascinating artisans:

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/dindiguls-unique-industry-locked-away-in-the-past/article20913558.ece

China Opens World’s Coolest Library With 1.2 Million Books, And Its Interior Will Take Your Breath Away

Located in the Binhai Cultural District In Tianjin, the five-story library, which was designed by Dutch design firm MVRDV in collaboration with the Tianjin Urban Planning and Design Institute (TUPDI) and has since been dubbed “The Eye of Binhai”, covers 34,000 square metres and can hold up to 1.2 million books. Taking just three years to complete, the library features a reading area on the ground floor, lounge areas in the middle sections and offices, meeting spaces, and computer/audio rooms at the top. We’re not sure how much studying we’d get done though – we’d be far too busy marveling at the awesome architecture!

Courtesy: Bored Panda: https://www.boredpanda.com/tianjin-binhai-library-china-mvrdv/

The Infrastructure and Projects Department of “Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited

After playing host to the who’s who of Mumbai’s banking corporates, including ICICI Bank, Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, IDFC, Standard Chartered, HSBC, Deutsche Bank and Citibank, the BKC complex welcomed the latest entrant – Kotak Bank.

The office with an area of about 1.5 lakh square feet, houses about 1,500 Kotak Bank employees. The building that came up in early 2000 was constructed by Shapoorji Pallonji and designed by Hafeez Contractor.