Bells

I tried to refrain from writing another nostalgic post, but the chime of 'memory bells' broke into my school anthem and I thought I better write it down before I forget the lines.

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The bells of St Mary's ring out far and wide
Their echo resounds from the lake and hillside
They call the young ones to work and play
They call us to duty, they call us to pray..

O Bells of St. Mary's we hear you repeating
The dear song of gladness of sweet memories.
You tell us of striving, of frank and fair dealing.
You sing to us of truth and love and victory.

In the school of St Mary's we spent happy times
We learnt the fine arts and the rhymes
In the church of St Mary's we find comfort and light
To fight a good fight and do what is right..

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Their echo resounds from the lake and hillside…

We hear you repeating the dear song of gladness, of sweet memories…

To fight a good fight and do what is right.

For me these three lines encapsulate the entire 11 years (prep->10) of schooling- the town, the friends and the lessons of life. I believe that there are certain things in my life which always find a way in any conversation somehow. I can see it in the eyes of the people around me, they can see it coming- a story from Nainital, or my farm or my school! I appreciate how they patiently listen to the same story nth time and smile politely when ‘the memory bells begin chiming’.

I believe most people love the place they come from, it’s a part of them in some way and stays with them wherever they go. Alternatively it may not be your birth place but the place where you feel most at home. I may be biased but I also believe that your school stays with you forever; it is your first version of the outside world. In some ways we humans are like trees, we might branch off far and wide but still be rooted in some way in some place, in some school of thought.

It’s interesting how the word bells bring to mind my schools and the sight of the bells reminds me of my home and my father. He is a believer, he believes in the existence of a power above, he believes that his prayers watch over me. The sound of bells reminds me of his daily morning prayers culminating in the ringing bells. 

The sound of bells reminds me the morning prayers in the Naini temple resounding all over the hills. The afternoon bells from the church, whispering grace. The evening prayers on the Ganga- the Arti with the light lamps floating on the river.

Perhaps bells may be the most powerful symbolism in my life. They ring in my school, my hometown, my home and my relationship with the god above. 

Photo credit:sr