01/10/2024

TUESDAY | OCT 1, 2024

6

Keeping charcoal furnaces fired up o Third-generation Taiping entrepreneur determined to preserve legacy of 90-year-old industry

Deepavali movie to set cinemas alight KUALA LUMPUR: The much-awaited Tamil biopic “Amaran”, based on the true story of the late Major Mukund Varadarajan, an Indian army officer who died during a counterterrorism operation in Jammu and Kashmir in 2014, is set to be released this Deepavali. Its lead actor Sivakarthikeyan, who flew in from Chennai, India, to promote the film in Malaysia, shared his deep connection with the role, revealing the emotional and physical journey he undertook to bring the real-life hero to the screen. “ Amaran is more than just a film for me, it’s a story of the immense sacrifice and love of a soldier for his country. I felt a personal responsibility to do justice to the role. “I worked hard to reflect his bravery, not just through physical transformation but by understanding the spirit of a true hero. It’s not just a role but an honour,” he told the crowd at a promotional event on Sept 28. Also present were lead actress Sai Pallavi and celebrated music composer G.V. Prakash Kumar. “Amaran” will be released worldwide on Oct 31 to coincide with Deepavali. The film’s teaser has already attracted over 26 million views, and Sivakarthikeyan’s intense preparation for his role and physical transformation have drawn praise from fans. The popular actor also expressed appreciation for Malaysia’s continued support for Tamil cinema. “The love from my fans here is overwhelming. Whenever I come to Malaysia, it feels like coming home. The way you’ve supported my films motivates me to work harder and bring you my very best.” On her role in the movie, Sai said: “This is a story that transcends the battlefield. It’s about courage, sacrifice and the bond between a soldier and his nation. I believe ‘Amaran’ will touch the hearts of everyone who watches it.” The story is adapted from the book “India’s Most Fearless” by Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh. – Bernama

TAIPING: Sepetang, formerly known as Port Weld, was where the nation’s oldest railway station was located. However, it has another “feather in its cap” as home to the country’s oldest charcoal-making industry, that began in 1930. Over the years, not much has changed in the area where the charcoal factories were and are still located – at the river estuary facing the Strait of Malacca. Currently, 120 factories are operating there, most of which are family-owned and run by the third generation. Chuah Kee Yong, 53, owner of a charcoal-making enterprise called My Charcoal Factory, is a third-generation family member who owns the business. He told Bernama he is determined to preserve the legacy and history of Kuala Sepetang’s charcoal industry and ensure it remains part of the nation’s heritage. “I decided on this because there was no one else but me to manage the factory,” he said, adding that charcoal manufacturing was not unfamiliar to him as he has been helping his family in the factory since his school days. Charcoal, with a fixed factory price of RM10 per 3kg, is not easy to produce. “To make high-quality charcoal, the most important thing is the furnace, or gok . This igloo-shaped structure is made from 26,000 bricks bonded with mud. We can’t use cement to construct the gok because it cracks under high temperatures of up to 250°C.” Chuah said the igloo shape is important to ensure even heat distribution, allowing the mangrove wood to be “cooked” at the right temperature, adding that his factory has six furnaces. “Each gok can process 1,500 logs weighing up to 50 metric tonnes but after the burning process is complete, the resulting charcoal weighs only about 10 metric tonnes,” he said. The wood used to make charcoal are from mangrove trees of the bakau kurap (Rhizophora mucronata) or bakau minyak Kuala

From mangrove logs to the final product, each batch of charcoal takes in excess of 30 days to make. – BERNAMAPIC

determine whether the charcoal has formed properly. Perfectly formed charcoal does not emit smoke that smells acrid. “After that, we leave the charcoal to cool and then it’s ready to be marketed or used for downstream products.” On the future of Kuala Sepetang’s charcoal industry, Chuah said he would continue operating his family business for as long as he can, adding that his children have shown little interest in the field. “This industry still has potential. But in the future, the businesses may be taken over by outsiders as not many young people here are willing to take over the trade.”

250°C, and the heat is maintained throughout the burning process.” The high temperatures are maintained for 10 days, after which the air intake openings are sealed with mud and bricks to lower the flame intensity. “This low fire burns continuously for another 14 days, following which all the air vents are sealed, allowing the furnace to cool for eight days before the charcoal is formed. “Once this process is over, I would go to the furnace to assess the condition of the wood by observing the colour and smell of the smoke produced. “I would sniff the smoke coming from the air vents to

(Rhizophora apiculata) species, and must be at least 30 years old. He said charcoal factory operators are granted permits to harvest mangrove trees grown on government-owned land covering 40,000ha along the coast. For sustainability purposes, they are also responsible for replanting. “After cutting them down, the trees are sawn into two-metre logs and transported by boat to the factory. The wood is then dried under sunlight for two to three days before being transferred to the furnace. “The logs are positioned vertically inside the furnace. The temperature inside is then raised from 85°C to between 220°C and

ENJOY A SEAMLESS READING EXPERIENCE. Read our iPaper at https://www.thesun.my/

Or download app on the AppStore or Google Play