Dodderi is a small nondescript village in Madhugiri Taluk of Tumkur District, Karnataka.
Our reason for being here was to see traditional limestone-making. In his Journey of 1800-01 through parts of erstwhile Mysore, the British surveyor, Francis Buchanan had recorded the process of limestone-making across the region. To our surprise, the traditional limestone-making process has remained unchanged. However, the market for limestone is now under severe stress with no demand for house painting. The market is essentially being sustained by little demand coming from small farmers. As we have often found, the limestone-makers are sure that their generation would be the last one pursuing this occupation. Their children are all keen to move to Bangalore in search of a better and more secure life.
Limestone-making uses charcoal and we were able to locate charcoal-makers in the vicinity. Once again, charcoal is made in the same way that Buchanan had recorded it. But there was a difference: charcoal at that time was used as the fuel for iron and steel smelting and often used hardwoods and bamboo. Today, charcoal finds a market mainly in urban centers for hotels and restaurants in the tandoor. The wood is mainly from the weed, Prosopis juliflora, which famers are keen to get rid of from their fields.
Walking through the village we found an old fort wall, some ancient carvings around the temples and a large lake. Fishermen who depend on the lake for the livelihoods were preparing their lunch ??? a couple of fish roasted on a bare flame and made into a chutney with chilies and spices