It is school time now and the focus is on everything related to school and academics. While children are busy picking up latest variety of bags, water bottles and stationery items, there are certain good old things that remain unchanged in schools. And chalk piece is one of them.

Though some schools have shifted to white boards and projectors,many are continuing with the traditional blackboards and chalk pieces, that are usually made out of gypsum or limestone. Madurai and Dindigul are the hub for chalk making industries.

According to A. Manoharan proprietor of Blue Birds Chalk Factory, the industry was stable despite the recent surge for digital classrooms. “As of now, the industry is doing good,” he said. His factory produces 3000 boxes of chalk pieces a month.

However, stationery shop owners contradict him. “At one point we used to give orders for 50 boxes. But now selling 10 to 15 boxes has become very difficult,” said a stationery shop owner who didn’t want to be identified.

C. Chokkalingam of Venus Agencies, a distributor for stationery products in Coimbatore said, “The orders for chalk piece boxes are good now. It is school reopening time. But it might go down after sometime.”