I miss my father whenever there is an eclipse. He'd have been amused by the media hysteria around this 'triple' phenomenon or 'three-for-the-price-of-one' hype which is all around us.
When there was a total eclipse of the sun in India in 1980, there was no internet or satellite television. We didn't even have 24 hour telecasts on our lone TVchannel. There was a special telecast of a very popular Hindi film to keep people indoors that afternoon.
My father thought it was ridiculous to create fear and keep people indoors during a solar eclipse. Delhi only had a partial eclipse, but it was exciting enough. We assembled a couple of simple 'eclipse viewing kits' and he said we could get some customers to watch if we wanted!! Only, the streets were deserted on that February afternoon in Delhi. I was quite happy to stand outside with my father and watch the reflection of the eclipse in water. Many years later, my wish to see a total solar eclipse came true.
In tea gardens, if a thing is heard or seen on television, it is accepted without question.
I put on one of the news channels this evening to check the time of the eclipse. I couldn't help but feel a little superior, as one who's known all about these things since childhood. I put on my coat and went downstairs to take a look at the sky. From the stairs, I heard screaming and metallic banging sounds coming from the workers' colony nearby and froze. The first thing that comes to mind is elephants - but there are none where we live. It had to be the eclipse! It must be whopper of a show, I thought.
Out in the open, the sky was dark, with not a glimmer of light anywhere, not even a star. The shouting and metallic banging continued. The sky was covered with clouds!
Half an hour on, status quo.
One hour later, the celebrity hadn't shown, but appeared to have cancelled without notice. Pink Floyd wasn't playing Dark Side of the Moon tonight. We'd got 'Obscured by the Clouds' instead!
The bawarchi came in for his evening shift. I asked him what was up, since the sounds had died out. They must all have gone home, he said. He was in social commentator mode today, shaking his head sadly. 'Baap re! Anyone would think a wild animal had entered the village. They didn't see a thing, but they screamed and shouted!'
When there was a total eclipse of the sun in India in 1980, there was no internet or satellite television. We didn't even have 24 hour telecasts on our lone TVchannel. There was a special telecast of a very popular Hindi film to keep people indoors that afternoon.
My father thought it was ridiculous to create fear and keep people indoors during a solar eclipse. Delhi only had a partial eclipse, but it was exciting enough. We assembled a couple of simple 'eclipse viewing kits' and he said we could get some customers to watch if we wanted!! Only, the streets were deserted on that February afternoon in Delhi. I was quite happy to stand outside with my father and watch the reflection of the eclipse in water. Many years later, my wish to see a total solar eclipse came true.
In tea gardens, if a thing is heard or seen on television, it is accepted without question.
I put on one of the news channels this evening to check the time of the eclipse. I couldn't help but feel a little superior, as one who's known all about these things since childhood. I put on my coat and went downstairs to take a look at the sky. From the stairs, I heard screaming and metallic banging sounds coming from the workers' colony nearby and froze. The first thing that comes to mind is elephants - but there are none where we live. It had to be the eclipse! It must be whopper of a show, I thought.
Out in the open, the sky was dark, with not a glimmer of light anywhere, not even a star. The shouting and metallic banging continued. The sky was covered with clouds!
Half an hour on, status quo.
One hour later, the celebrity hadn't shown, but appeared to have cancelled without notice. Pink Floyd wasn't playing Dark Side of the Moon tonight. We'd got 'Obscured by the Clouds' instead!
The bawarchi came in for his evening shift. I asked him what was up, since the sounds had died out. They must all have gone home, he said. He was in social commentator mode today, shaking his head sadly. 'Baap re! Anyone would think a wild animal had entered the village. They didn't see a thing, but they screamed and shouted!'
8 comments:
Experiential, great mood capture as always
Charming!
I remember that partial solar eclipse of 1980! I was in Madras. The world turned green and it became cool and it felt as if we were in a murky underwater world. We too made pinhole cameras and marveled at the spectacle!
Recently we created a dance-theater piece based on a story about a dragon swallowing the moon - great fun!
Really entertaining! That banging on the drums is cute, even if the star, er moon, didn't appear. I think it must have been the 1980 eclipse, when here in Madras the then CM declared a holiday, and we watched a movie on TV too. But what struck me then was the eerie silence when the partial eclipse started. All the birds and dogs on the street just went silent....And peeping outside I saw the total absence of any life on the road.
As opposed to today. Life seems to have gone on as usual. We did see the red moon and it was fiery.
Lovely piece Gowri ! Quite eclipsed the (non) eclipse :)
Raji - I think we are writing about the same eclipse, because I remember being at home while it happened. We had been given dire warnings and told horror stories about people going blind or mad if they went out to watch the eclipse. We must have been given the day off from college so that we remained safe!!
I remember the 1980 eclipse and seeing the movie Chupke Chupke on TV. And I also remember the rather eerie silence on the streets that afternoon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeVtZjGII-I b
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