LUCKNOW, March 16 -- Every Tuesday, Azeem Ahmad Siddiqui boards a bus from Rae Bareli, climbs nearly 200 steep stairs inside a 144-year-old tower, and coaxes history back to life. He is 52, works as an engine machine operator, and has just one day off a week. That day belongs to the Husainabad Clock Tower, and for now, he is all that stands between Lucknow's most iconic landmark and permanent silence.

The clock stopped again on Sunday, days after Siddiqui's last visit, when dust settling on the mechanical parts had brought it to a halt. He had cleaned the components, applied grease, and left it ticking. It did not last the week.

The pattern is not new. The clock stopped in 1984 and did not tick again for 28 years, until it was restored ...