Time breaks its silence after 11 years as New Market clock chimes again

After nearly 11 years of silence, the New Market clock has found its voice once more, its chime drifting through the arched corridors of Kolkata’s most iconic
shopping complex. The revival is more than a technical restoration; it is a story of memory and sentiment, made possible by two dedicated father-son duos who painstakingly repaired both the clock tower’s civic structure and its delicate mechanism. On Tuesday afternoon, CT was there to witness the rhythm of the past – a sound that once marked time for generations of traders and shoppers.
The sound of time
The four-faced Gillett & Johnston Westminster clock atop the New Market tower is a weight-driven mechanical clock powered by gravity. Suspended iron weights are turned by hand at regular intervals to keep it running. Inside the tower, three separate gear trains control its functions – one keeps time, another manages the quarter-hour Westminster chimes, and the third handles the hourly strikes. As the weights descend, they drive a system of gears connected to a pendulum that maintains a steady rhythm. At set moments, a hammer strikes the bronze bells, producing the chime that now echoes through the market once again.

Tradition, technique, and sentiment shape the restorationFor those who brought the New Market clock back to life, it was not just about fixing an old timepiece; it was about reviving emotion, memory, and craftsmanship.
“We restored it because clock towers are not only remnants of the past, but there are so many emotions associated with them. It stands at a landmark location – the first European-style market designed in Kolkata,” said architect Anjan Mitra, who oversaw the civil restoration of the clock.
Saptarshi Mitra, who has been involved in conservation and restoration projects in the city with his father said, “While monument conservation has gained ground in India, many traditional crafts still survive in pockets, from lime concrete to louvred glass. This restoration went beyond civil work. It required a clock expert and specialised expertise.” He added, “The clock was last repaired in 2014, but it stopped working and chiming soon after. It has started chiming again after almost 11 years.”

For me, it is more than work; it is an emotion. We had to conduct a part-by-part analysis of the clock. Had we not repaired it now, I believe it would soon have been beyond repair. It will require regular maintenance
– Satyajit Dutta, who worked on the clock’s striking mechanism along with his father, Swapan Dutta

Quotes:

The sound of the New Market clock’s chime is Kolkata remembering itself. This restoration revives not just a mechanism; it reawakens a piece of the city’s collective memory
– Mudar Patherya, who initiated the restoration

You don’t realise how much you miss a sound until it returns. This chime is an integral part of Kolkata’s rhythm
– Suranjana Chatterjee, school teacher
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