Gandaberunda is back
Credit: X/@Nithin_m_kamath
Bengaluru: The latest buzz among the Kannadigas on 'X' is about a watch that was first launched by HMT in the 1970s, the timeless 'Gandaberunda'. Produced every year in limited quantities, every time the watch hits the shelf, collectors alert each other: Gandaberunda is back.
The watch famously features the state emblem of Karnataka -- Gandeberunda, the two-headed bird that represents resilience against the forces of destruction.
Between stainless steel strap, silver dial, golden dial and many coloured straps and faces, including the much in demand wine-coloured face, collectors are kept busy every time the watches hit the store.
Nithin M Kamath, comedian and writer, who tweets under CoffeeKudhitira?, displayed the two he picked up this time on his 'X' account. "Got my hands on the HMT Gandaberunda, makes it 7 in the HMT collection now, hitting 10 by the end of the year," he wrote.
'X' user Mal-Lee (@MallikarjunaNH), went a step further and displayed all his eight watches, each one more colourful than the other. "Fifty shades of Gandaberunda. There are few more to get and complete the collection," he wrote.
Incidentally, the original 'X' post that declared 'Gandaberunda is back' this time, posted on June 19 evening, by 'X' user @Sa_ha_na_Mg, has already garnered 93,000 views.
When PTI visited the HMT showroom in the iconic Barton Centre in MG Road, one of the four outlets of HMT that still sells older and rare watch collections of HMT, Tejas, an engineer by profession and who moved to Bengaluru from Mysuru, was busy convincing the showroom manager to sell him four pieces of the watch.
He was met with, "Limited edition, only two per person". Unfazed, he bargained: "Two men and two ladies watch, then?" Finally, the showroom manager relented.
Tejas told PTI that the watch has a "heritage value" for him.
"I am from Mysuru. Gandaberunda was the emblem of the erstwhile Kingdom of Mysuru under the Wodeyar rulers, and after India attained independence, it was retained by the Mysuru state as its emblem," he added.
Even when erstwhile Mysuru state was renamed as Karnataka in 1973, Gandabherunda continued to be the official state emblem, added another buyer, who would rather remain anonymous and who was also incidentally from Mysuru, said.
"If you ask me, HMT should stop all its new models and start producing watches like 'Gandeberunda' and 'Janata' (now out of prooduction, but original ones could fetch upto Rs 18,000), which have more character than the most recent ones," he added, as he picked up two watches for his father and grandfather.
Gandaberunda watch also has hour markers in Kannada numerical.
The showroom manager, on condition of anonymity, said HMT used to produce hour markers in almost all Indian language numerical. "But only the Kannada one, with Gandaberunda, is still being produced in limited edition now," he added.
Apart from Barton Centre, ABD Showroom in Jalahalli, Souvenir Shop at HMT Museum in Jalahalli and the showroom at HMT Bhavan in Mekhri Circle get stocked with Gandaberunda whenever it is available, said the manager.