Lime-Kilns, Salterns and the Agris: The Past and the Present

In today’s day and age, we all know about edible lime - commonly confused with the citrus fruit, it is used in paan (betel leaves). Only our elders might remember the lime that was used as masonry material for millenia, not only in India but throughout the world. Even the pyramids of Egypt were constructed using lime. A plethora of government and public buildings in the Old Bombay Fort and Parel areas, built during British rule in India, remain curious and awesome because of their sturdiness and usability even today. The lime in their foundation plays no small part in the marvel of their continued existence. But who produced the lime that diligently supports these buildings? Very few know that it was produced in the lime-kilns in and around erstwhile Bombay, which were run and owned by Agris, the native people of this land. Who were these people, and what were their lives outside the lime production? This book aims to answer all these questions and broaden our collective understanding of the subject.