A CLOCK' S LIFE

The art of reading witness marks is a rare phenomenon these days. Here’s what this ancient skill is all about

- YVONNE JACOB

MY ANCESTRAL HOME IN Dehradun has a lot of vintage items, well, including my grandfather. Okay, jokes part. My grandfather has all sorts of things that he has kept safely and in pristine condition. There’s an old radio and a typewriter too, that he still uses to send us letters. Among the many things he has, there is also an old cuckoo clock. As a child, I was most fascinated by this clock and the little bird that kept coming out every hour, making these not bird-like sounds.

We had gone to Doon to celebrate Christmas and I remember one morning that the clock was opened up for repairing. There was something I noticed on the inside of the clock, it looked like someone had scribbled on it with something sharp. Back then, all I thought was that one of my cousins was lucky enough to wreck the clock before me. However, I grew up and now the clock sits in one of the rooms at home. The cuckoo too sits inside now and doesn’t make a sound.

WHEN AN ANTIQUE CLOCK BREAKS, ONE THAT’S OVER 200 OR EVEN 300 YEARS OLD, FIXING IT CAN BE ONE TEDIOUS PUZZLE