On your way from Karachi to Sukkur, Hyderabad welcomes you its signature fresh breeze. It is the second largest city in Sindh province.

Public transport can take you to Hirabad. Bus conductors and cab drivers will be shouting out names of places like Tower Market, Station Road, Phuleli and Tando Jam. The road from Hirabad to Tower Market is home to numerous shops including those selling a number of famous foods and sweets.

After a fifteen minutes’ walk you reach the end of this road. There appears another market known by a tall clock tower, which catches the eye of the regular passers-by as well as tourists. It is a historic remnant of pre-independence heritage. A remarkable feature of the experience is that the air is heavy with the odour of spices. The market is famous for being a hub of spices and fruits trade.

The people know this place by the name of Ghanta Ghar. The market that had existed even before the birth of Pakistan is now the largest wholesale market in the city. It hosts a number of people from rural Sindh visit here every day to purchase all kinds of commodities.

According to an engraving on the side of the tower, the Nalvari Clock Tower was constructed by the Hyderabad municipality during the presidency of Sir Rao Bahadur Dewan Chand Dayaram in 1915, when he made up his mind to construct a large market project. A systematic trade hub was planned in the city centre. The red bricks and yellow stone were imported from Delhi. A large white and black clock was installed to facilitate the visitors to the market.

An arch almost ten feet long leads the traders and tourists to the market. Front elevation of the tower is covered with three yellowish windows. Next to these windows there is the famous clock.

The only reach the clock is the temporary iron staircase adjacent to a shop. According to Haji Ramazan, a shop owner in the area, the clock tower is the defining landmark of the market. Ramazan says that a number of birds have their nests on the clock tower. He says there is no appropriate access to the tower cock. A sub-office of the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation is located on the tower premises. It is open only occasionally.

The people know this place by the name of Ghanta Ghar. The market that existed even before the birth of Pakistan is now the largest wholesale market in the city hosting a number of people from interior Sindh who visit here every day to purchase routine commodities.

Standing on the roof of one of the buildings nearby, one can get a glimpse of the hall that looks empty. Ramazan says it has long served as nothing but a shelter for stray dogs who gather here around midnight. Carrying a black bag on his shoulder, Raees Akhtar, a cultural activist, goes around taking pictures. Akhtar says has lived in Hyderabad for many years.

According to Akhtar, Sir Rao Bahadur was an educationist. He says it was Rao Bahadur who came up with the idea of a clock tower around which a large market may be laid. He says the tower and the adjacent halls were last renovated in the 1990s. He says the oldest fish market in Sindh is also close by. Talking about days past, Raees Akhtar says: “There used to be a tonga stand. The horse driven carts used to carry passengers to the tower. When the tonga stand was demolished, a famous city builder constructed a residential building in its place.

Four metal-frame clocks, installed several decades ago, can still be seen on the tower faces. However, the protective glass sheet has been broken and the condition of the clock movement is deteriorating by the day. A fruit seller, standing in the shadow of the tower, says the time pieces have not been functional for over 20 years. He says nobody in the government has bothered about the little detail.

One of the two large halls is used for vegetable, fruit and spices shops; the other houses shops selling meat and groceries. The architectural plan of these halls was unique. Both bricks and yellow stone were used in the construction of the walls.

There was a time when the local shopkeepers would set their watches by the collective chimes of the four clocks. The morning chime announced the opening time for the markets and the one right before sunset as the closing time.

The splendid architecture of the halls however has been ruined. One of the hall is now without a roof and home to stray animals. The only remnant from Roa Bahadur’s era in the hall is its “heavy iron structure”. Construction of permanent stalls along the outer walls of the building has had an adverse effect on the inner surface of the walls.

The second hall has been turned into a meat market with an attached slaughterhouse. Cleanliness being poor, it attracts flies and gives a filthy look. Sea food is brought by local fishermen and sold in the same hall. Next to these halls, there is a vegetable market. Hundreds of vendors trade their produce and wares on the muddy floors and stalls. The empty halls are full of heaps of trash and waste water. The municipal corporation office located at the tower has not been operational for a long time. Most of the window panes have been broken and not been replaced. The clocks remain in place but their hands have apparently not moved in a long time. Rao Bahadur Navalrai Tower is losing its beauty by the day. Nobody is paying any attention to it.

The writer is a freelance mid-career journalist and documentary producer. He can be reached at jranasahmed18@yahoo.com