Clock tower chimes again at Neravy in Karaikal

Restored clock tower at Neravy, Karaikal chimes again after 2 decades. Clock enthusiasts and natives intervened to repair and renovate the 55-ft-tall tower. Origin traced back to Germany in 1860, it was crafted with iron and brass. After 5 days of work, clock was re-installed and brought to working condition. Manual prepared to ensure seamless operation. Tower to be painted and refurbished.

After two decades, the iconic clock tower at Neravy in Karaikal district has started to chime again, thanks to the intervention of clock enthusiasts and natives. The clock tower has been restored to its original glory after repair and renovation.

The 55-foot-tall clock tower is located inside the Mohideen Andavar Mosque complex abutting Keezha Raja Veedhi at Neravy, a commune near Karaikal.

“In 1958, K.M. Abubacker, a native of Neravy, who was running a business in Singapore, built a tower. Originally, there was no intention to mount a clock atop the tower. Later, he purchased a second-hand mechanical clock from a clock trader in Singapore and shipped it to India in 1960. Subsequently, he reconstructed the tower to install the clock,” said M.S.M. Gani Maraikayar, his son-in-law.

The mechanical clock with weight-driven technology was running for nearly four decades. With full winding, the clock would run for a week and chime every half an hour. The clock tower was abandoned without proper maintenance and stopped functioning around the early 2000s. Mr. Gani Maraikkayar decided to repair the iconic clock in memory of his father-in-law and approached S. Robert Kennedy, a clock collector from Chennai, about a month ago.

Mr. Kennedy, a computer engineer by profession, has been collecting antique mechanical clocks since 1983. With nearly 2,500 mechanical clocks of different varieties, including wall clocks, pendulum and skeleton clocks, he established Robert Kennedy’s Clock Museum in his house at Kodambakkam.

It was indeed a challenging task for Mr. Kennedy and N. Nagaraj, a clocksmith from Chennai, at the Neravy clock tower to reach its top through a narrow passage to dismantle the machine and bring it down. They reached Neravy on September 16 and took up the task.

“The gear systems, wheels, and levers were rusted and jammed. Some of its critical components were also missing. Germans used a combination of iron and brass to make the machine components. Though some parts had rusted, there were no traces of wear and tear in the machine, which showed the quality of materials used by Germans to manufacture its components,” said Mr. Kennedy.