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Pilgrim city: Historic clock tower is neglect
The historic clock tower on the busy Gandhi Road here is in state of neglect. It was popular land mark in pilgrim city before Hathiramji Mutt came up. The then civic body set up clock towers at select places in the city for the benefit of the people as it was privilege only to high society people and officials in those days.
Tirupati: The historic clock tower on the busy Gandhi Road here is in state of neglect. It was popular land mark in pilgrim city before Hathiramji Mutt came up. The then civic body set up clock towers at select places in the city for the benefit of the people as it was privilege only to high society people and officials in those days.
Highlights:
- It is located on a busy Gandhi Road in pilgrim city
- Advertisements and signboards overshadowed clock tower
- One more clock tower in the SVU is still functioning
A clock tower is four-faced clock for the people to know the time during 18th and 19th centuries when clocks in home were a rare sight and wrist watches were also treated as a symbol of rich.During those times, clock towers were built to remind labourers and others about the time to resume their duties and take a break.
In municipalities, sirens were used to play almost four times a day–8 am, 12 noon, 2 pm and 6 pm. Sound of a clock tower was clearly audible to almost entire town. Even, that was stopped long ago. The purpose of the clock towers diminished in the 20th century, so did their aesthetic value. Now, no one looks for the clock towers for time and they became a history. People are no longer schedule their days around the ringing bells of these clocks.
In Tirupati, One technician was entrusted until some years back to give key to it once in a week. Later, battery operated clocks came. Now, it seems there was no maintenance at all. Each side shows a different time. But who cares–neither the public nor the municipal authorities. The clock tower is shadowed by the commercial operators, who were using the place around it for advertisement purpose.
Not only signboards of the shops but traffic police umbrella also covered it completely. There was another clock tower which gives a royal look to the administrative building of the Sri Venkateswara University (SVU). It is functioning now, thanks to the Indian Science Congress held in January this year. Ironically, these antique structures are no longer landmarks of time but are only landmarks on maps.
By V Pradeep Kumar
