Ringing In Heart: Mr School Bell On Board! Have You Felt Him Too?

When I entered the school as a three-year-old, I first time heard the long bell ring. It resonated across the building as I held tight to my mom's little finger. I was not sure why I was there and who was the person ringing so boisterous. Well, that is Mr School Bell! I saw my soon-to-be friends crying for their parents. I speculated that I would likewise join the crybaby flock of LKG-C. There went another ring, and my mom needed to leave. She guaranteed me that she would turn up once the Lunch Bell rings.

Now, who is this Lunch Bell? Sibling of School Bell? No! It is the same Mr Bell, who synonymized his name with The Morning Bell, The Assembly Bell, The Break Bell, The Lunch Bell, The Evening Bell, The Half Day Bell, The Unexpected Holiday Bell, The most anticipated Surprise Bell, etc.

In kindergarten, his ringing for every 45th minute did not make sense. As I progressed to the primary grade, I realised that he could make my teachers change, with his old voice ring. It took me years to understand that Mr Bell is the sound clock of school, and my school wakes and dozes off only to his tune.

As soon as I learned to read time, I started wearing a watch. But my hand clock never synchronised with Mr Bell's sound clock. While my watch ticked 5, 10, 15 to reach the 60th min to make an hour, Mr Bell had no clue of these except for the 45th min tick. I wondered if his watch has only nine numbers to pack an hour. And there he went ringing over and over, every 45th minute as the day cruised by.

"The interims for munching, the long break for lunching; an exciting play session, or a boring sleepy session", Mr Bell decided it all. Sometimes, we missed the ringing sound when he fell sick as the power goes off. There he made his younger sibling, Ting to substitute his work. He guaranteed the dapper manual ringer, going, "Ting Ting Ting Ting", well on time. While I covert plotted a fever show to get away from school, there he was, who never bombed his work, even being sick.

His tune turned special when we knew it was our PET or the library or the drawing class. The same felt lamenting when it was to study or write exams. Mr Bell decided even on our marks. We all have asked for the extra five minutes in the exam hall after he rang. But Mr Bell never takes his words back. His ringing reached our hearts through the ear, and we always wanted the surprise bell to hear. He brought Santas, Cultural Assemblies, Chairman visits to make our bliss. He even gave shocks through his Inspection Bell, to check our classwork and Books.

On Saturdays, he rang to send us home at noon, and on Sundays, we started missing him soon. Sometimes he rings too early before I reach school, and there he got me silly punishments. He allowed me to stay outside the class for more time than I needed, peering at others, and having fun. At times, he got to know my trick and made me feel sick. He rings too late even in the wake of realising that I cannot hold my pee any longer. He rang the KG bell 45 mins before the primary grades, making us feel less rewarding to go to a higher grade.

A pressure cooker whistling, Whissssshhhhhhhh…, A calling bell press, ding-dong…, My new phone’s customised ringtone, tananananaaaaa… is all that I hear now. In any case, nothing stings the heart as the tringgggggggggg… of my school bell rings. We all missed the school bell only after completing school. And here goes my toddler and nephew having any clue of this still. My cousins lost it in the Zoom Class that never rang once. It only goes on/off and sign in/sign out as they get acquainted with the new normal. And here I am, as my mind goes on and off, like a Zoom session, while writing this. And my heart yearns to keep its pace as cheerful as my school bell rings!

#Schooldays #Childhood