Kerala Farmer Creates A Tunnel With Only A Pickaxe
Update: 2022-01-18 12:19 IST
The entrance of the tunnel that C.T. Thomas dug through a hill in Kannur district, Kerala.
C.T. Thomas, 69, was encouraged by a holiday trip to Thailand to build a 25-metre tunnel under a hill behind his residence in Peruvamba Eramam Kuttar gramme panchayat in the Kannur district of Kerala with a pickaxe and shovel.
Mr. Thomas chose to recreate the peculiarity in the laterite hill slope adjacent to his house after being inspired by a tunnel cave created by people of a Thai island. Although local opposition, his initiatives had paid off six months later, and the underground cave is now a famous tourist destination, even among those who cautioned him about it.
Mr. Thomas laboured on the tunnel with only his beloved pickaxe, seeking to avoid electrical tools that may had destroyed the rocks, concerned of the fragility of the slopes and dire predictions that the tunnel would disintegrate. He started working on a place near his house, which is similarly built on a laterite slope, when the COVID lockdown provided him with free time.
Mr. Thomas, whose work belied his age, claimed that he cleared all the soil after working 14 hours a day without utilising any electrical machinery or outside labour. He only had a torch with him when he began digging the six-foot-high tunnel through the laterite slope. He stated that despite the fact that the task is difficult, he feels happy and satisfied as he digs deeper into the hill.The tunnel begins in front of his house and runs for about 25 metres into the slope to the back of his property. Small chambers can be found inside the tunnel, while full-grown rubber trees can be found above it, keeping the tunnel icy cold at all times.
Mr. Thomas, on the other hand, is not through with his job and continues to dig the tunnel to reach the opposite side of the hill.While his family was originally sceptical, he added that after six months of hard work, they are impressed with the tunnel and are supporting him. Despite his neighbours' anxieties, the tunnel has remained stable throughout the months. Many of people who formerly opposed it have now come to spend time in the tunnel. Mr. Thomas plans to offer the rocky route to visitors once it is finished.