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Shut it and forget it
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The Pitambar family makes safes that are a thief's nightmare
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PHOTO: MURALI KUMAR K.
SAFE AND SOUND: They are both burglarproof as well as fireproof
The year is 1898. Madhavji Pitambar from Gujarat opens a small shop in a bylane at Gadag in North Karnataka with ambitious plans of building safes for the landed gentry and the royalty. Thirty years later, the Maharaja of Mysore honours him with an award for being the best safe manufacturer. Soon, the Mysore palace is full of safes bearing his signature.
Year 2005 and five generations hence... Three brothers are continuing with the task that their forefathers excelled in. With the first branch opened in Bangalore in 1920, Madhavji Pitambar & Sons have been quietly doing the work that they are best at, without much ado or publicity.
Word of mouth
Says Indravadan, the eldest of the three brothers: "Our customers come to us through word of mouth. We do not advertise as our safes are custom designed, handcrafted and hence exclusive. It can't be done on a mass scale."
Started in an era when banks were either non-existent or few in number, these safes were much sought after both by business houses as well as individuals. The safes are made not only burglarproof, but also fire proof, if specially asked for.
Says Jitendra Panchal, the second of the three brothers: "Each safe is unique in its design. The locks are structured such that the levers extend on both sides and sometimes on all four sides. This feature makes it burglar-proof even when the door hinges are cut."
To ensure that the keys are not replicated, the zigzag method of structuring is adopted while shaping the teeth of the keys. "This makes it impossible to replicate," he says. To complicate it further, the keyhole is structured in such a way that the key would have to be placed in a particular angle and then turned.
Jitendra recalls how one of the customers who purchased their safe in 1936 had a burglary recently where the thieves attempted to break open the safe unsuccessfully. "The lock was badly twisted but the safe remained intact. We repaired the lock and he continues to use the safe!" he says.
Some of these safes are only two feet high. But all their safes weigh anywhere between 100 kilos to a ton. The fireproofing also adds to the weight. Fireproof safes come with double layers of steel, with insulation in between. Some of these safes are fitted to wardrobes.
The interiors of the safes are as intriguing as the locks. They are full of concealed trays, hidden compartments, draws tucked away in unsuspecting corners... Only the operator of the safe knows the access to these hidden compartments. Perhaps, it deceives not just the thief, but the taxman too!
Since the safes are handcrafted, highly skilled labour is employed. Says Jitendra: "In the earlier days, the safes were perfected to cut a hair when the door is closed."But given the shortage of skilled labour, he rues that such precision is no more feasible.
Lockers too
Besides safes for individuals and business houses, they also make bank lockers, strong room doors and Hundis for temples. "These again have the same intricate locking system making it virtually impossible to break open," says Jitendra.
Though the three brothers together handle the business, it is Ashok, the youngest, who handles technical details. "On a normal working day, he is unrecognisable, wearing overalls and aiding workers to attain that hundred percent precision," says Jitendra with pride.
Given the steel body and brass locks, the safes last over a 100 years, claims Indravadan. "Our customers come to us only once as their lifetime requirement is taken care with that one purchase."
Depending on the size and nature of requirement, the safes cost Rs. 7,500 onwards. Madhavji Pitambar and Sons is located in Kalasipalayam and can be contacted on 22236008/ 22873954.
NANDHINI SUNDAR
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