India, July 19 -- A recent press report has drawn attention to the decrepit state of the Hussainabad Clock Tower, emphasizing its need for regular maintenance to ensure its clockwork operates effectively. Over time, this colonial structure has emerged as a defining monument in Lucknow, often claimed to be the tallest clock tower in India. However, this assertion may not hold true, considering the Rajabai clock tower at Bombay University, completed in 1878, reaches an impressive height of 85 metres, overshadowing the Hussainabad tower's 68 metres. The initiative for this grandiose project was undertaken by Lt Col Norman Horsford, of the Bengal Staff Corps who was also the magistrate of Lucknow, ostensibly to honour Sir George EW Couper, the first lieutenant governor of the North-Western Provinces and chief commissioner of Oudh. English architect Richard Roskell Bayne was commissioned to design the clock tower for Lucknow in 1881. Its location amidst a score of Nawabi edifices in the vicinity was an irony in itself. Perhaps it was meant to remind the 'natives' of a new order, through a gong that resonated day and night. The tower's construction was completed at a cost of Rs 1,17,000, funded by the Hussainabad Endowment Trust. Bayne had previously designed numerous 'Raj' buildings throughout British India, ranging from modest railway stations to lavish monumental structures, including the New Market (Hogg Market) in Calcutta, which also featured a clock tower. For Lucknow, he envisioned the Hussainabad Clock Tower to be nearly as tall as Delhi's Qutub Minar at 72 metres or 238 ft. Interestingly, he did not draw from traditional Islamic architecture or the emerging 'Indo-Saracenic' style of British India. Instead, his design presented a square layout with horseshoe-shaped arches and a broad band of relief columns embellished with interlaced decorative arches, evoking Moorish influences, particularly reminiscent of the La Giralda minaret in Seville, Spain. This stood in stark contrast to the Rajabai clock tower, whose architect, George Gilbert Scott, had unabashedly drawn 'inspiration' from London's Big Ben. The imposing structure of Lucknow's clock tower was intended to stand at 221 feet in height and cover a square footprint of 20 feet. Topped with a Moorish dome clad in a metallic sheet and equipped with a wind vane, the tower showcased a clock mechanism composed entirely of bell metal, imported from JW Benson of Ludgate Hill, London. Each of its four clocks, measuring 13 feet in diameter, was adorned with flower-shaped dials, each petal stretching out to 3 feet, creating a striking visual that would have captivated the beholder. The minute hand was 6 feet long and the hour hand 4.5 feet in length. Since the clock tower was installed before the advent of electricity, above the clock-room were eight copper lanterns, two for each dial, having plate glass-fronts and silver-plated 'holophotal' reflectors. From these, a powerful stream of light shone upon an exterior reflector placed so that light would be projected on the centre of the dials. The outside reflectors were movable, all four being extended, or withdrawn, at the same time, by an arrangement of wheels and cogs. The striking part had the hammer being raised by the great wheel, by means of which, a heavier blow and more sound were obtained. The system used was the rack-repeating type, which was the easiest in its action, safest in its locking and the most modern at that time. As reported in 'The Builder' (1885), the clockwork was the largest in India at that point of time, 'constructed with great care, both in the selection of the materials and the workmanship. The rate of the new clock, which has been thoroughly tested in the factory, is reported to be losing one of two seconds per week, so that its accuracy will make the clock the standard for time in the city and district. The chimes known as Cambridge Quarters will be heard in Lucknow for the first time.' Before its commissioning on the tower itself, the clockwork had been put on public display at Benson's Steam Factory, Ludgate-Hill, London. However, despite its advanced engineering features, 'the clock gave so much trouble that after several tries by engineers, it was put up by a mechanic of the Oudh & Rohilkhand Railways named Mr Mutloe.' After working sporadically for a hundred years or so, the clockwork stopped functioning in 1984, and remained defunct for many years. The untiring efforts of private citizens, Akhilesh Agarwal and Capt Paritosh Chauhan, resulted in the clock becoming operational for some time in 2012, before failing once again. And so it stands at the time of writing this article - awaiting periodic maintenance on a weekly basis by Azim Ahmed Siddique, a machine operator from Rae Bareli. No one from the younger generation has the wherewithal to learn the nuts and bolts of the clockwork's upkeep in the years to come. Despite the avant-garde structures now emerging in the Hussainabad Heritage Zone, the vintage Hussainabad Clock Tower, which literally 'towers' over all neighbouring structures in the area does not seem to have a very promising future, as of now. PC Sarkar, a former scientist, has authored several books on the forgotten heritage of Lucknow...