One in a millennium: Chasing the sun

Bangaloreans spent the day of the solar ecplipse in two ways -- either staring at the sun or locked up indoors

Some people may have cruised all the way to the Maldives to watch the sun play peekaboo, but Bangaloreans who could not get to the most coveted destinations, like Dhanushkodi, are not ruing the fact that they had to stay in the city. City dwellers also got to see the sun sliding slowly behind a shadow and form a perfect, picturesque crescent.
Archana Surendran, a third-year student, just grabbed an old X-ray plate and stood on her terrace. "I watched the sun every few minutes from 12.30 pm to around 1.30 pm. I loved seeing the slow change. What I found more beautiful was the colour of the sky. It was a different shade of blue."
Archana's mother, who was keeping her company, actually pointed out an interesting sight. "Look at the shadows of the leaves of the trees on the walls and the road. They are all crescent or ringlet-shaped, and not actual leaf-shaped. Just like the sun!"
We spoke to a student, Mayukh Agarwal, from VIT who is visiting Bangalore for his holidays. The youngster was all excited. "I am actually from Delhi. But I am so glad that I am in the South right now, because otherwise I would not have been able to see this so nicely," he said, adding, "See, I am doing it properly too. My friend got me eclipse glasses."
Bangalore Planetarium was abuzz, with people from all walks of life and all age-groups gathering to watch this one in a millennium event. Some had even bunked office to be there.
While most were awed by this spectacular celestial show, there were some who did not find it so fascinating. Malathi, a middle-aged lady, had finished breakfast early and had to work in her office all day on an empty stomach. "I can't eat during the eclipse. I will go home, take a shower, cook fresh food and then eat."
What is interesting is that, it isn't just the older generation who are still clinging on to superstitions. Fashion designer Ramesh Dembla had to stay indoors, "thanks to my dear mother". He laughed and said, "To be honest, I watched the eclipse on TV. I was supposed to bathe only after 4 pm. So, the whole day I was on Facebook, and the treadmill while my mother was at prayers and puja. In fact, she told me not to eat, but I secretly grabbed a bite. Let's see how she reacts to that!"
Safala is a young employee of Logica and she stayed indoors all day, preferring to work from home from within her carefully shut doors and windows. She did not eat the whole day. "I will wash myself and eat after three." Even some restaurants, like the Upahara in Cox Town, shut their doors, only to reopen around 4 pm after a puja.
Crusaders of practical, scientific thinking made an attempt to break the myths and fears. At National College Basavanagudi, around 2 pm, many people were seen distributing and eating puffed rice during eclipse. This was done to to make the public more aware about the fact that there is no harm in eating during eclipse.

[Published in Expresso, The New Indian Express on January 16, 2010]