7th December 2021 Dr Beena
Hello everyone😊. Today I have the privilege to introduce the artwork of Mr N Nandakumar. He has exhibited his work at Chitra Santhe, a vast art exhibition held annually in Bengaluru, India. His passion for painting began at an early age where he was attracted to the natural beauty of Kerala. When he retired, it gave him more opportunities to paint, and he gave his artwork as a gift to friends😊. His friends must feel very fortunate.
Today’s work is a line painting using a pen depicting the famous Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvanthapuram, Kerala. The drawing appears simple but he has captured the fine details very well. The temple’s history goes back to the 18th Century. The architecture of the building based on the Chera era took into consideration the direction of the wind and sun😊. I wonder how many modern structures do that? ☹ You can read more about the s history of the temple online.
I love clocks, and hence am going to describe more about the Temple Clock that is just outside the temple. I used to find it fascinating. It is called Methan Mani. This unique clock has many features. It has a man’s face above the dial with two rams on either side of his cheeks. In the 1840s, the design of the historic clock was on a complex pulley system. I often wondered how precisely the rams would strike the cheeks of the man!!. These clocks do not need battery change but need constant and careful maintenance. They convey not only time but can be quirky too😊. Like this clock, after we finished our prayers, I would tell my mom that I wanted to listen to that sound of the clock. For every fifteen minutes, I remember it made a single sound, and when it is for the hour, it will produce the number based on the time. It was always perfect😊. That was my thrill. I felt I could catch when there was an error, silly me😊😊. I have never been successful.
Would you please share your story if any of our readers have had similar experiences? I find clocks and watches charming. Besides showing time, we can gauge a person’s taste by the clock or watch they have 😊. Have you ever wondered about that? I would love to read your views😊. When you see a clock, study it; there may be a story to it😊. Till the next musing tic tock.
8 thoughts on “Why are Clocks fascinating?”
Line painting of Mr Nandakumar is superb.For those who have seen the real temple and its pond will definitely cherish the intricate details in it.
The story of the clock is also very authentic and blending with the history of the temple.
Beautiful. Took me on a pleasure trip to the 1950s. We had a chiming clock at home. My father, while renovating our old house, found it among discarded scraps. My father had a keen eye for antiques and he took the battered old machine, started getting it back in shape. He got some of the internal parts from the company abroad. Once it came back, it occupied the pride of place atop a show case in our large living room.
My father died in 1963.
The clock had to be wound every Sunday. i got a chance to do that honour only after all those elder to me had left the scene.
Later,i too left. Once when i returned it wasn’t there. i had become almost enchanted by the BigBen chime every quarter of an hour. Since then I had longed for a clock that chimed like that.
On my return to Trivandrum in 2016, i was once doing a lazy window shopping in s watch showroom at Pulimoodu. i asked them if they had clocks that replicated BigBen chime, the saleswoman showed a Sony. i didn’t first believe her, Then she made it chime once. i said to her to stop it, and pack the clock for me.
It is five years hence. i have had to change its batteries only once in these five years. It keeps chiming every fifteen minutes, which may be a disturbance sometimes, but to hear the sweet chime makes me hark back to the past without dismantling the present.
Thanks doctor Beena, for taking me on a time travel through a time machine… Salutes to H.G Wells.
Hi so glad to read that I am not the only one fascinated by clocks. I do wonder why that 15 minute sound is crucial. 😄😄😄.
I truly appreciate Mr Nandakumar for letting me write for his painting.
Watch this site for more stories🙃
Where clocks are concerned i wish time stands still.
The sketch is excellent …
The details are very credible….
Makes the temple stand out in time. ⏰
Interesting way to say ” makes the temple stand out in time”😀😀😀. Yes it is a beautiful painting.
Thank you Beena for introducing us to a new style of painting. The work must have taken time to complete as it is very meticulous and precise. I imagine the author of the drawing must have really immersed him/herself into it 😊.
Hi Allan
That painting is done by Mr Nandakumar. Yes am hoping more artists would share their work at this website.
That Painting from Mr Nandakumar is just superb in detail and the intricacies brought out in its execution is really truthful . . Having grown in the city and being a regular visitor to that temple and the pond .. called Padmatheertham .. this painting evokes memories.
About that clock .. A masterpiece indeed . As a young boy , I still remember those times when we used to stand around and egg on the clock to chime and for the goats to come out and ram the face !!
Superb engineering from a bygone era . As good as any other in any other country..
I’ve seen something like this Prague and of course the Big Ben also ..
Well done , Mr Nandakumar