The Village Blacksmith, the Anvil, the Hammer (& Me)

THE VILLAGE BLACKSMITH,

THE ANVIL, THE HAMMER

(& ME)

Back in the day in the 1950's in Goa - the nostalgic days of my childhood - passing through my village during the day, either on foot or bicycle, in the distance I would hear the distinct sound of a blacksmith beating on a piece of red hot iron with a hammer - the rhythmic staccato beat of the hammer on the anvil. The even and constant rhythm grew louder as I passed by the house of our village iron smith, hammering out the shapes of common household tools, in a hut attached to his house.. This type of forging was interesting to watch - from the first rough-outs to the finished work - the intended tool being given a shape with the hammer and the anvil. The best part was the blower which the hardy smith would kindly sometimes let me turn. It seemed to be the simplest type of forging, but I often wondered whether the blacksmith ever got tired, constantly striking a piece of hot metal to attain the final desired shape to his liking - until finally he would be satisfied with the result, and call a spade a spade! Here are some of my line-art drawings of the tools that I remember - the tools of the trade.