Fixed and polished: Tick-tock, tick-tock merrily sings Mumbai's tallest clock tower

MUMBAI: India’s artistic fraternity has never underestimated the importance of the historic Rajabai Tower; it even became the signature opening shot of Bimal Roy’s films. The tallest clock tower in the city was reopened after restoration on Tuesday.
The bells pealed softly, as they do every 15 minutes, during the rededication ceremony which was held in the presence of Mumbai University officials, conservation experts and corporate sponsors.The first phase of conservation saw the stone tower and library fortified and waterproofed, while the next task involves lighting and fixtures. By the end of this year, Rajabai Tower is expected to regain its lustre.
Since June 2013, around 100 workers faced the challenge of restoring the 280-ft structure whose only access is by a 2-ft wide staircase. “We realized we could not bring down the large windows that measure 8ft x 4ft, so, we set up a workshop at the height of 196 ft,” said architect Brinda Somaya, who helmed the restoration.
“The Minton tiles that are typical of heritage structures in the city had given way in places but contractor Ram Savani managed to source similar pieces from other buildings that had been demolished,” said Anita Garware of Indian Heritage Society, which has coordinated the effort since 1995.
The vaulted roof of the library sprung a surprise. When Somaya and her team brushed layers of paint and polish, they found an inlay of rosewood lining the ceiling.
On Tuesday, however, the team that had restored the stained glass of Rajabai Tower way back in 1997 remained in the shadows. Conservation architect Vikas Dilawari sat discreetly in the back while stained glass restorer Swati Chandgadkar was absent. Conservation architect Sheetal Gandhi, who is the consultant, also remained out of the limelight. Chandgadkar said, “The stained glass restoration 20 years ago was a pioneering project because several Indians were trained by British masters who came over and stayed for up to six months at a time. I had some background in the art but the rest of the team learnt everything about restoration and painting here.”
Rajabai Tower was built at a cost of Rs 3 lakh donated by Sir Premchand Roychand to enable his blind mother to tell the time so she could dine before sunset. It was named after her as well. The late historian, Sharada Dwivedi, had documented that initially neighbours complained that the clock chimed every quarter of an hour and played 34 tunes, then struck loudly at the top of the hour. “The authorities were forced to cover the entire machinery with canvas and mute the sound,” she had said.
Rajiv Jalan, owner of Eastern Watch Company, said it replicates London’s Big Ben and peals a cache of similar tunes.