Murray & Co and its Sunday auction: the famous ‘hammer’ of Madras nears the century mark
Murray & Co, a historic auction house in Chennai, is approaching its 100th anniversary of continuous operation. The article traces the company's evolution from real estate auctions to household and industrial goods while maintaining its status as a cultural fixture in the city.
Why it matters
It documents the longevity and cultural impact of a legacy business that has successfully adapted to changing market conditions over nearly a century.
Any popular music consumer who scours the decades for earworms would be familiar with the phrase “Hammer time”, sung elegantly by M.C. Hammer in his “U Can’t Touch This”. In Madras and now Chennai, a different form of ‘Hammer time’ has been playing out since February 10, 1927 when Murray & Co saw the light, having been founded by brothers A. Vedantam and S. Rajam. In the 99 years plus a few months of its existence, the auction house has not given that hammer a break except for a couple of times due to inescapable situations. What does the continuity mean to those at the helm of Murray & Co?
The article is a feature piece focusing on local history and business continuity with no political or controversial agenda.
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