Time frozen as clock towers no longer chime

For want of mechanics with expertise, they have fallen on bad times

(From left) Clock towers at Grand Bazaar (Periya Kadai), Petit Bazaar (ChinnaKadai) and at Mahatma Gandhi Road in Muthialpet have long stopped telling time to Puducherry residents. Photo: S.S. Kumar

Time and tide wait for none, goes the popular adage. Here in Puducherry, perhaps the clock towers seem to prove the Tourism Department’s slogan “Give Time a Break,” true and add credence to the famous phrase “Time stands still” in this former French outpost.

The clock towers here have long stopped telling time.

A telling case is that of the iconic clock tower at Grand Bazaar (Periya Kadai) which is an important landmark in Puducherry and has seen several defining moments in the evolution of the city.

Located in the Grand Bazaar on the Mahatma Gandhi Road, the clock tower was constructed in 1849 and donated by a businessman Thiagou Mudaliar.

“Most of the mechanical parts in the structure were made in Paris by J. Wagner. The clock tower has Roman numerals on its dial and once reverberated all across town with its vibrant gong. The clock tower has occupied a prominent place in the historical records of Puducherry,” says a historian.

Old-timers even recall that the gong sounded by the clock at every hour used to be heard several metres away. But now, this historic structure lies in a state of neglect. The clock has stopped ticking long ago. The glass covering the dial was broken and many years have passed since the structure was given a fresh coat of paint.

A resident wistfully remembers bygone days when people used to set the time of their watches looking at the landmark. But as the municipal authorities have turned a blind eye, the clock towers remain out of order most of the time, he said.

Another clock tower (Chinna Kadai) Petit Bazaar constructed by M. Lakshmanaswamy Chettiar in 1892 on the southern side of Mahatma Gandhi Road several years later was in no better position. It had stopped ticking several years ago. Yet another clock tower situated at Mahatma Gandhi Road in Muthialpet was also non-functional for the last few years.

The officials at Puducherry Municipality claim that for want of mechanics with expertise to repair the clock, the clock towers have fallen on bad times. Apparently, efforts to set right the clocks with local clockmakers have failed.

“Despite our best efforts we have not been able to locate people who have expertise in repairing the clock,” an official conceded.