I read post by Uma on Prayer (umsreflections.wordpress.com) . That triggered a whole of thoughts ..That inspite of being a Hindu by birth, I was more into reciting Christian prayers and I knew many hymns and songs by-heart. All thanks to the Christian convent that schooled me. It became so much that at one point people on our neighborhood started fearing if our school was into conversion. (It was just not me, many , rather most in our school were trained into all of this).
If its MoralScience class, then its stories from Bible and in 9th and 10th class, it was the Holy Bible itself. If it was the Lent , then it means Way to the Cross on Fridays thereby bunking a aprt of Biology class that is always scheduled after lunch (and getting scoldings from the Bio teacher who was against the nuns and their practices: a story for another day). before the board exams of 10th class, then, every class must pray for a particular student who is chosen by lots of the respective class leader. When our class was in 10th Std, then it means, being assigned to one or two nuns in the hostel who keep praying for us.
Prayers were always there in the morning, and in those classes where the teacher was a christian or a nun, then, there was prayer before those classes as well. I remember some of the prayers, some of them the first few lines. But one of them that I hope to remember always is : Our Father in heaven..
Once , I remember being told that if this prayer is recited 7 times, then whatever you have lost will be gotten back. In those young minds, it got registered so deeply that when we lose a pen or a pencil or a rubber , we would recite this one if we wanted it back.
I wonder how to introduce the concept of prayer to Ajju. Will she automatically get it if I pray daily in front of the altar? Do schools these days teach the concept of praying? I'll get to know all of this in due course. I keep saying at home "Aandava, enga ellaraiyum kapathu pa". This is the one prayer that I voice out every now and then. Not sure how this statement got stuck with me, whenever I take Ajju near the God's place in our home, I say this little prayer.
If its MoralScience class, then its stories from Bible and in 9th and 10th class, it was the Holy Bible itself. If it was the Lent , then it means Way to the Cross on Fridays thereby bunking a aprt of Biology class that is always scheduled after lunch (and getting scoldings from the Bio teacher who was against the nuns and their practices: a story for another day). before the board exams of 10th class, then, every class must pray for a particular student who is chosen by lots of the respective class leader. When our class was in 10th Std, then it means, being assigned to one or two nuns in the hostel who keep praying for us.
Prayers were always there in the morning, and in those classes where the teacher was a christian or a nun, then, there was prayer before those classes as well. I remember some of the prayers, some of them the first few lines. But one of them that I hope to remember always is : Our Father in heaven..
Once , I remember being told that if this prayer is recited 7 times, then whatever you have lost will be gotten back. In those young minds, it got registered so deeply that when we lose a pen or a pencil or a rubber , we would recite this one if we wanted it back.
I wonder how to introduce the concept of prayer to Ajju. Will she automatically get it if I pray daily in front of the altar? Do schools these days teach the concept of praying? I'll get to know all of this in due course. I keep saying at home "Aandava, enga ellaraiyum kapathu pa". This is the one prayer that I voice out every now and then. Not sure how this statement got stuck with me, whenever I take Ajju near the God's place in our home, I say this little prayer.
Hey keep posting such good and meaningful articles.
ReplyDeleteHey keep posting such good and meaningful articles.
ReplyDelete