Ambey Times

Being inside the Martin Burn building feels like being part of history. Our shop is number 25 on the ground floor. R N Mukherjee Road is always moving, full of people heading toward the GPO or coming from the big offices. It gets quite dusty here in Calcutta, so we spend a lot of time cleaning the glass cases every morning. We have been selling and fixing watches for many years now. Some days are slow, and I just sit and listen to the wall clocks ticking all at once. It’s a strange sound if you aren’t used to it, but it’s comforting to me. We don't have a big team, just a couple of us who know how to handle the delicate parts. If a strap breaks or a cell dies, we fix it while the customer waits. The building itself is old and has a lot of character, though the walls could use some paint. We keep our tools organized in little wooden drawers. People stop in on their lunch breaks or after they finish work. We don't do much advertising, mostly just people telling their friends about us. It is a bit cramped inside with all the stock, but that is how it goes in this part of town. We just focus on getting the watches back on people's wrists. Calcutta is a busy place, and everyone is in a hurry, so we do what we can to help them keep track of the minutes. We enjoy the work we do.