WEST BENGAL: Ten year old Noor Jamal of Maujpur village, a cowherd, was surprised to see his cows suddenly turn homeward as the sun’s rays were blocked during the total solar eclipse last Tuesday.
He was also thrilled to get a pair of solar filters to view the event, presented to him by a member of the Breakthrough Science Society.
Asked to describe the eclipse, he said “first came the sudden twilight, then the shadow play on the ground and the lite stars twinkling in the dark sky.”
The presence of a number of scientists, attired in “queer outfits” and equipped with a lot of strange gadgets has made at least some of the villagers quite knowledgeable about the event.
Thakurdasi Karmakar 52 described in the local dialect the various facets like the shadow bands, Dailey’s beads, diamond ring and corona.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 3, 1995
