Mysuru Eclipsed!

Roads wear deserted look, no shoppers at markets, no breakfast at roadside eateries; Cloudy weather mars view at Kutta in Kodagu

Mysuru: The ‘Ring of Fire’ against the morning sky in the form of the Annular Solar Eclipse cast a dark spell on the daily lives of Mysureans, disrupting several activities. Citing the ill-effects of the eclipse over their planetary (Zodiac) positions in astrology, many either cancelled their engagements or deferred activities until the completion of the event.

The Eclipse wasn’t just a scientific spectacle. It also deterred people from venturing out of their homes. Except school children, professionals and office-goers, people including traders, shoppers and businessmen preferred to stay at home during the eclipse from 8 am to 11 am. 

It is not an easy task to check blind beliefs and as a proof to this, shops on main thoroughfares of city were only opened after 12 noon. A bandh-like atmosphere prevailed on many roads including the ever-busy D. Devaraj Urs Road, Sayyaji Rao Road, Ashoka Road and around the Palace. Even the Devaraja Market and the M.G. Road Market wore a deserted look, with vendors waiting for the customers. It is usually a busy time during early morning hours when the markets witness a heavy rush of customers who look for farm-fresh vegetables, leaves and fruits. But today, shoppers stayed indoors and only reached the markets after 11.30 am. 

Roadside eateries closed

Causing inconvenience to people who have their regular breakfast on the roadside streets, almost 80 percent of the roadside eateries were closed. Some of the hotels were closed for the morning session and those that were open had thin attendance. 

Almost all prominent temples including the Chamundeshwari Temple atop Chamundi Hill were closed along with several Eshwara, Anjaneya, Ganapathi and Venkataramanaswamy temples. All of them were thrown open for darshan after the eclipse and after elaborate cleansing rituals. 

Public viewing of rare celestial event 

But several rationalists groups and science clubs served breakfast to the public besides making arrangements for public viewing of the rare celestial event. Apart from many schools and colleges that had made arrangements to view the eclipse, the Mysore Science Foundation had made arrangements at the Oval Grounds where over 2,000 school children and over 1,500 public had gathered as early as 7 am to witness the rare phenomenon. 

Office-bearers and volunteers of Mysore Science Foundation had distributed protective goggles for all the viewers. They were explaining to viewers that how the awe-inspiring event should not be viewed, even for a short time, without proper eye protection. They were warning that sun gazing during a solar eclipse or even during normal daylight hours can burn a spot in the retina, which can lead to permanent blindness. 

CM sits at home, PM tweets

Interestingly, Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa has no official engagement until 4 pm today and was holed up at his ‘Dhavalagiri’ residence in Bengaluru’s Dollars Colony. However, it is unclear whether the cancellation of engagements it is due to the eclipse. 

“Like many Indians, I was enthusiastic about the Solar Eclipse. Unfortunately, I could not see the sun due to cloud cover but I did catch glimpses of the eclipse in Kozhikode and other parts on live stream. Also enriched my knowledge on the subject by interacting with experts,” tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Ranji match delayed

The start of the second day’s play of the ongoing Ranji match between Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh at Mysuru has also been delayed due to the eclipse. According to sources, the match started an hour and 45 minutes later than the scheduled time of 9.30 am due to the solar eclipse.

At Kutta in South Kodagu, thousands of school children and public viewed the celestial event at Kaimaani Estate coffee drying yard of Kolera Ravi Cariappa in Kaimaani where special arrangements were made. Also, children flocked the estate owned by Chekkera Dharmaja Devaiah at Kutta for sky-gazing. 

But the clear-sky view of the celestial event was marred by cloudy weather.