The watchmakers of Hyderabad were faced with a grand old problem when they were asked to repair the 150-year-old clock of the Charminar.
Often referred to as the Arc de Triomphe of the East, the Charminar – which was built by Quli Qutub Shah in 1591– derives its name from the four minarets (towers) gracing its four corners.
Each of its four arches displays a clock which was added to its structure in 1889.
However, even the best of the Hyderabadi watchmakers would not dare to take a go at the repair-work for lack of spare parts.
Most of them were willing to try their hand at fixing a couple of them and not all four. That’s when my father Rasool Khan came forward and took up the challenge. Since then, he has been the custodian of all repair and maintenance work related to all the four clocks of Charminar.Sikander Khan, Watchmaker
Sikander has been in this profession for the last 53 years.
This 150-year-old British clock which now adorns the Charminar was brought to Hyderabad from London during the reign of the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad – Mir Mehbood Ali Khan.
After the rule of the Nizams ended in 1947, all the four clocks stopped ticking as there was no one to take care of them.
The spare parts of the British clock which were stolen had been made of bronze. These were stolen due to sheer negligence by the authorities. My father then crafted each of the missing spare parts by hand with a three-year guarantee, but these are yet to give way.
In recognition of this family’s professional expertise, the eighth Nizam of Hyderabad Mukram Jahan Bahadur had even gone to the extent of bestowing a certificate to Sikander Khan’s father which stated: “Rasool Khan is my personal and best watchmaker.”
Royal praise indeed!
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