BOOKS AND BANGALORE

Thursday, February 17, 2011

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.

22 comments:

Beyond Horizon said...

I totally partake these emotions...recently I did find some long forgotten things...small but precious :)

Yes its frightening to know I have so much to do in this short life... Who said theres much of time or long years? Time flies...

Your grandpa said it APTLY...Care for time... It will care for you :)

AA said...

Tik-Tak,Tik-Tak,Tik-Takku
Thathana clocku, aagide locku
Nostalgic flashbacku,
Nice write-uppu,Worries bittaku
Innu thumba bard bard haaku!

Bikram said...

Life is like that .. and each day we are walking closer to the D day..

and yeah scary got so much to do and so less time ..

Bikram's

Priya said...

Damn, that is one hell of a beautiful clock! I love all things antique-ish. Lol, I love digging up the house for such stuff, but my mom has a habit of ridding the house of all things old and battered and unnecessary, and with me 18 years is as old as things can get!
Wonderful post, made me think of all such little things in my life; and it's the little things that matter the most, right?!

Priya said...

Oh, and I forgot to mention, that clip is so cute! Love the animation!!
Cheers
:)

WritingsForLife said...

Yes, you are right, and I love those antiques and all the stories associated with them :-)

Raksha Bhat said...

@Beyond Horizon: ':)'

@AA: You come 'backu':)

@Bikramjit: Very frightening na Bikram!

@Priya: The video almost brought tears in my eyes!When my Grandpa passed away we cousins brought his little things home.Of course we couldn't meddle with the clock.I kept his spectacles,it reminds me of him:)Thanks for reading Priya:)

@Raajii: Hi welcome here Raajii... after a long time!:)Hope you are doing fine.Maybe you should write something on a favorite thing of yours,we all will love reading it:)

eyeography said...

I don't have anything that belonged to my grandpa...except a portrait of him that I sketched after he was gone...

It's good to know that at least you have that amazing clock with you now...

Very well written..your grandpa must be very proud.. :)

The wild said...

I certainly remember the red-oxide floors and clock ticking at my granparents place as well,those were the days .

Thanks for bringing back some old memories :),kaalla yavathu yaarigu nillodilla ,ninu nanu yaava lekka ......

Raksha Bhat said...

@Sumit Sarkar: Awww..you sketched his portrait?:)...very good...and by the way I do not own this clock:(..its a picture taken in my Granny's house:)

@the wild: Aa dinagalu!:(

Sarah malik said...

oh! i miss my grandpa too :( he too used to say similar things apart from asking me to make burgers for him :)( thts all i knew to cook at that age)

u brought an array of bitter sweet memories. thnk u for that!

may ur grandfather's soul rest in peace.

sarah

Arpana said...

Good old memories- the feel stays and gives some moments to relive the love of life.

Simply Ridiculous said...

Good post!!

Raksha Bhat said...

@subtlescribbler: Thank you for those wishes Sarah,I am glad this post touched you.

@Arpana:Memories are all that we have,it is good to think of the past sometimes to move forward:)


@Simply Ridiculous: Thank you:)

raji said...

@Raksha .so true .some of those things are so nostalgic .We too have a similar piece at my grandpa's place.With 'precious items' like these ,I remember a watch gifted by my father which i still retain .I don't want to lose it, since it was my Dad's 1 st award to me(I got it for scoring good scores in 7th grade )

Anonymous said...

This makes me think of my grandmothers longcase clock in her living room. It was huge. After she died the clock disappeared. Probably stolen, unfortunately.

Raksha Bhat said...

@raji: That was very sweet of him:)

@Anonymous: Oho!Bad!

kiran said...

U bot back all the memories of my grandfather...tks
PS. The clock in the picture was manufactured by my grandfather...

Raksha Bhat said...

@rays: Thanks for stopping by this old post...my many thanks to your grandpa too:)We still have this clock on the wall:)

Anonymous said...

hey no sense priya

but its a nice song

Unknown said...

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Rajendra Raikwar said...

nice post