Solar Eclipse in Patna-22 July 09

Today morning I woke up rather early. It was still dark outside as I looked at the watch. It was just 4.15 AM. I got up and had a bottle of water and after making myself a cup of tea I went out to fetch the milk from the nearby stall of Sudha dairy. Though it was just 5 AM the trucks were rushing like mad on the Bailey road with blaring music and breaking the stillness of the morning. The stray dogs would leap away from the road on seeing the monsters approach. When I returned it was just 5.25 AM. There was a light drizzle and the sky had turned overcast. The cool breeze was begining to blow. I looked out of the window and was surprized to see a small crowd of youngsters on the terrace all set to watch the grand spectacle of the century. The longest solar eclipse would commence at 5.29 AM and will last more than an hour. The local radio station was playing the hymns and in betwwen giving commentary on what was happening in the wee hours at Taregna-25 km away and Gandhi Maidan in the heart of the town in Patna. Hundreds of people had gathered to watch once in a lifetime celestial phemnomena. As the time wore on more clouds gathered and it strarted pouring. By 6.15 am the torrents of rain played the spoil sport. And then it happened... the sky turned grey and then black. It appeared to be a scene out of sci- fiction movie. It was pitch dark for a few minutes and the birds all confused returned back to their nests. After about 10 minutes the sky lit up slowly and in a few minutes it was bright and sunny. I missed the grand show of nature due to the clouds and rain but the few minutes of darkness reminded me of the supremacy of the nature and events which are difficult to create by mankind