My Grandfather's Clock

Some objects are like a key to our past.They bring back memories,both good and bad.The emotions attached are priceless,especially with the antiquities left in the household.Radios,telephones,gramophones,compasses,pens,pocket watches and many more feature in this list.Of course these things are hard to find in our homes these days unless we are living in a museum.

My Grandfather's Clock is one among our prized possessions.It is currently hung on the wall opposite Ajja's room with it hands stuck close to two thirty,in the same place since the last five decades.The clock is kept untouched in spite of its sorry state for sentimental reasons.It was fortunately in a better condition when he was around. I came across this photo of the clock today while cleaning up my hard disk.I guess this was taken when I last visited Ajji Mane,a solid two years ago.The moment I saw this,a movie of my childhood ran in my mind,well almost!I had a beautiful reminiscence.

We used to spend many humid and sullen afternoons lying under this clock on the cold red oxide floors,also we slept through the hot summer nights listening to the sound of this clock.Ajji then used to tell us the story of 'The Thirsty Crow',we used to fall asleep by the time her crow filled the pot with stones to bring all the water up.But the clock unlike us never got tired of her story,it ticked all along.

I remember the times when Ajja used to stand on a stool and wind the clock when the pendulum stopped swinging.He used to grumble at the other members of the house for disregarding its existence."Care for time,it will care for you"he would always say.During some parts of the day,the only motion in the house was that of the pendulum.The clock sang a perfect cuckoo tone every time when it made an hour.It had a weird melody which kept the house alive.

Ajja was a fusspot when it came to keeping time.He lived a life of proper and primeval simplicity.His breakfast was at sharp seven thirty,lunch at twelve fifteen and dinner at seven everyday.He followed this schedule no matter what the rest of the world was up to,if things did not happen on time he would roam around the house with his cane,mumbling and howling at whoever came across his way.All this was quite unintentional though.So we would just walk away.He respected time and so we respected him.Whenever we had to leave for somewhere he made sure that we get ready an hour before.He would shove us out of the house quite literally saying"Go children,before its time".His sense of punctuality was self taught.Everything was equally important in the past,present and future.

My mother and I have inherited a share of this excess expeditiousness.No wonder whenever I see this clock it makes a strange connection.I hate it when someone is not on time,it is something I can never forgive.It is hard for people like us to keep pace and follow the rest of the crowd in this momentarily speeding world.Sometimes I feel I have lost it completely,this sense of time.I am glad I found this picture today.I have now realized what little time I have in my hand to do all that I wish to do here in life.A very frightening feeling!

“Time is the most undefinable yet paradoxical of things;the past is gone,the future is not come,and the present becomes the past even while we attempt to define it,and like the flash of lightning,at once exists and expires”-Charles Caleb Colton.

Isn't it wonderfully bizarre when a lifeless object makes us smile or forces us to think so much.We all have something or the other special kept safe in our living room,cupboards,trunks or attic.If it has been a long time since you had a look at it,do stop yourself amidst all this daily conundrum and search for it.Go dig your treasures,let me know what you found and how it made you feel:)

Life IS beautiful,and the little things that belong to us makes it more:-)

This song was written by Henry Clay Work,now a long forgotten rhyme.I have put it up here for my grandparents,I am missing them very much today:-(

-R.