Murray & Co at 99: the famous Madras ‘hammer’ approaches the century mark

Auction underway at Murray & Co.

Any consumer of popular music looking for earworms across the decades will be familiar with the phrase “Hammer time”, gracefully sung by MC Hammer in his “U Can’t Touch This”. In Madras and now Chennai, since February 10, 1927, when Murray & Co. founded by brothers A. Vedantam and S. Rajam, another form of ‘Hammer time’ takes place. In the 99 years plus a few months of its existence, the auction house has not given this hammer a break, except for a few times due to unavoidable situations. What does continuity mean to those at the helm of Murray & Co?

Hemant Srivatsa, partner at Murray & Co., replies: “We’re very proud of that. We’ve done Sunday auctions almost without a hitch since our inception. There were a few weeks during our move when we had to take a break, and of course the pandemic was the longest period we couldn’t hold auctions. Other than that, we’ve kept the tradition going.”

The team at Murray & Co.

Businesses can dig their feet in, “take over” a place by imprinting their character on it. And no one can think of that place without this business coming to mind. And then businesses take over people’s minds and become household names. Murray & Co did both. After being identified with one space for a long time, behind the iconic LIC building on Mount Road, it had to change address, but its influence on the minds of the townspeople was unchanging and fixed.

Hemant sheds light on the addresses that the auction house has listed in its name. “Our original auction house was located behind the LIC building till 2012. After that we operated from Mandaveli for a short time before moving to our current premises at Gemini Towers, near the Gemini Flyover.”

On how the business has evolved over the years, he notes, “We started with real estate auctions. From there we expanded into retail home goods and furniture auctions, followed by industrial auctions. There was always a transition as the business adapted to the changing times.”

Hemant continues, “Within the retail space, the categories have changed significantly. We sell a lot more electronics today than when I joined the business in 1992. The market has evolved and so have the items.”

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Online auctions are becoming more and more popular. Where does Murray & Co stand in cyberspace?

“Our industrial auctions are already completely online. Our retail auctions haven’t gone through the full transition yet, although our online portal is currently being developed. Even after its launch, we want to continue with our physical auctions as they have their own charm that no technology can replace,” says Hemant. And when asked to name one transaction that has been hugely memorable for Murray & Co in its nearly 100 years of existence, Hemant refuses to go down that road.

“Every single item is memorable. Every transaction is special not only to us, but also to the person who entrusted it to us and hopefully to the person who ultimately bought it.” Have grand plans been etched for a centenary celebration when it arrives? “Yes, the plans are still being worked on. Over the next few months we will come up with concrete ideas for the centennial celebration.”

As Murray and Co. looking forward to its 100th year, its greatest achievement is probably not just its longevity, but its ability to evolve without losing sight of what makes the auction special; its people, its stories and the bustling sounds of its offerings. After a century, the tradition continues, one offer after another.

Published – 12 Jul 2026 06:51 IST