The Clock

“Ting,ting,ting,ting,……” “There – I heard the chimes!” The clock on the university tower struck ten at night, and Pooja could distinctly hear the ten chimes.

The University Building was over a hundred years old, and so was the clock tower, which was a part of the building.

The Clock, which had been non-functional for many years, had been repaired. Pooja’s mother read in the local newspaper that one could now hear the chimes of the University Tower Clock. She suggested to Pooja’s father “Tomorrow, after dinner, let's drive down to the University Building. Pooja would love to hear the chimes.”

That day, after dinner, Pooja’s parents got into the car with Pooja. “Where are we going?” asked Pooja. “That is a surprise,” said Pooja’s father. When they reached the tower, he said “Now listen quietly. As the clock strikes 10, you will hear the chimes of the clock. It has been newly repaired.”

Many years later, Pooja was a student at the university. By then, the clock of the University Tower had got spoilt again, and would never strike on time.

Pooja and her friends would often talk to the professor about the heritage that their University was. Once Pooja said “Why don’t they repair the Tower Clock again. It would be useful for us in the campus and the vicinity.”

The professor had a say in this matter as a representative of the University. He suggested “Why don’t you students take the initiative to repair the Clock? Inquire about the expenses and see whether you can raise funds..”

After making a few enquiries, the students concluded that the profits from the college fun-fair would suffice to repair the clock.

The fun-fair days arrived. Pooja’s class had put up a stall of a few games and chaat. The profits exceeded their expectations. They would surely be able to repair the clock.

Just then, the news about the tsunami in Chennai hit the newspapers. Every class in the college was donating apart of the fun-fair profits to the victims of the tsunami. Pooja and her friends realised that if they did the same, they could not afford to repair the Clock. But they decided that the repairs of the Clock could wait. They needed to donate enough money to the tsunami victims, and they donated a percentage of the profits.

The professors appreciated their decision. As a token of appreciation, the professors got the Clock repaired from the Professor’s Fund.

When they heard the clock strike on time, Pooja and her friends were overwhelmed with the loving gesture of the professors and thanked them with all their hearts.