LAST week the Time out team had a great opportunity to escape from the busy office and take a trip to Pathein in Ayeyarwady Division. While we were sightseeing around the downtown area we met a hard working teenage boy at the Shwemawdaw Pagoda.

He was chiseling names in Myanmar on an alabaster tablet to create a memorial.

Hitting the chisel slowly with a small hammer he carved the words onto the tablet with great precision, his hands dirty with stone dust. Time out took a moment of his time to see how he got involved in stonework.

Timeout: Hello, what’s your name? Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Aung Ko: I’m Aung Ko from Pathein. I’m 14 and make memorials for donors.

You look quite interested in it, what attracts you to do this type of work?
My father is a carpenter so I’ve been familiar with crafting things by hand since I was young.

How much does an average work cost?
It depends on the size of the tablet. For a 1.5 - 2.5 square feet tablet, it costs about K350,000 including the cost of the tablet.

Expensive.
Not really. It’s a reasonable price because it takes a long time to create the work.

Really? How many steps are involved?
Only three but they’re very detailed. First, you have to write the words on the tablet with a pencil. Then you have to chisel them carefully. After that, you have to paint the words.

How long does it take to finish a tablet?
Normally it takes two days to finish a piece of work.

Is it a paid job? How much do you earn a day?
No, I’m still learning from a professional as an intern. So I don’t get any money for this but he treats me to meals.

I’m surprised you’ve been working more than three years without getting paid.
But it’s a great internship. He teaches me very well and I enjoy learning this art and craft.

Do you think it is very difficult?
Yeah, I mean it’s more difficult to get to the higher level. But I found that the basic works are easy when you can control your hand move- ments well. The movements of the hand holding the chisel are very important in this kind of job.

So, if you weren’t good at controlling your hand…
The parts we want to maintain would be chipped easily. So, you need to be careful when you are carving the unwanted parts. If you are skillful, it’s not a problem. Another thing you should be careful about is hitting. You shouldn’t hit with force or the tablet will smash. It’s only one inch thick so it’s very easy to break. I broke some during my early learning days.

Did your teacher scold you.
A little bit but I know that it was because he wants me to get better at chiseling. And what I have learnt from him is invaluable and really helpful to help me earn for my whole life.

So, you plan to make memorials for your whole life?
Yes, I love this job. I’m always happy to do this because it’s my hobby to chisel. Not only words, I also want to engrave pictures and Kanote [a traditional artistic style depicting lotus stems, buds, blossoms, etc].

Great! Is there anyone who makes memorials in the town?
No one yet. This is the only place you can find memorials.