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| HMT Showroom Unity Building |
A fellow collector,blogger and friend Varun Iyengar was at the showroom on the day of closure and below is an eye witness account from him.
My journey with
HMT has been since 2009 where I used to visit showrooms just to see the vast
collection of HMT watches wich I never used to buy. I always used to consider
myself an enthusiast rather than a collector of sorts. Incidentally my first
watch was a Janata art deco variant followed by a couple of Pilots and Sonas.
Some of the HMTs
that I purchased initially were from either the two showrooms in Bangalore one
in Unity Building and other being Jalahalli (CSD). I used to prefer the
Jalahalli showroom during my initial years since it was near to my place of
work. Later as time passed I shifted to Unity Building due to its location. I
used to spend my Saturday afternoons at the Unity building showroom looking at
the red velvet steps in the showroom filled with an array of watches from the
HMT stables. All these are history today.
Sometime in mid
2010 I had for the first time visited the Unity Building in search of a Janata for
my classmate/colleague who was pestering me for a long time. Though I did not
get one but got introduced to Mr. Bhagavan who introduced himself first and
later I introduced myself saying I am an academician (and a student of sorts). He
also gave me his visiting card. This meeting still reverberates in my mind
whenever I here Unity Building from someone. In the same visit I also happen to
pick up HMT Pilot which I gave it to one of my friend later. I have never tried
to ask technical questions to Mr. Bhagavan all these years but have never
failed to ask for watches that I can pick up. I also remember asking him a HMT Jawan
for which his reply was try hard you will find it and I don’t have it. Later in
years to come I have picked numerous watches from this showroom starting from
the very basic HMT Vijays and Varuns to the classy Chronograph. I have also
left a series of watches like HMT Sweekars thinking that I will have time to
pick up later (which was a mistake that I made). The Unity Building has now become
hotspot for all the HMT watch collectors and enthusiasts to meet, exchange
notes and impart knowledge. For the last few years it had become a routine to
meet some fantastic people and learn something new. But the sad part is the
showroom is gone for ever.
Last year in the
month of September the news of HMT closure shattered the hearts of many HMT
collectors and enthusiasts. Then the news trickled saying all the showrooms
would be closed. The first one to bite the dust in Bangalore was the Unity
Building showroom. I got to know they would close on a certain day, and was not
prepared to go and meet Mr. Bhagavan there because I was not ready to confront
a disappointment. But one of my friend (a HMT collector) forced me to come to
meet him at Unity Building which turned the tables. That was the last day of
the showroom. I just entered the showroom and saw Mr. Bhagavan was arranging
the watches in boxes and the tables were shifted to the corners. I spoke with
him regarding the imminent closure and wished him all the best. I also in the
meantime asked Mr. Bhagavan’s permission to take a picture of him to which his
reply was a stern no but later he obliged for the same. I thanked him for all
the help and also thanked him for helping out people all these years. After a
long chat with Mr. Bhagavan finally the time had arrived for me to depart with
a heavy heart. I bid good bye for one final time to the HMT showroom and head
back home. Thank you HMT and its professionals for all what you have done for
these many years and good bye. Here are some pictures
from the last day of HMT Unity Building Showroom.
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| Mr. Bhagavan from Unity Building |
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| The Final Journey for the Showroom Begins |
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| Empty Racks in One of the Oldest Showrooms in Karnataka |
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| The Final Hurrah - Showroom on the Last Day |
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