India Reacts To The Total Solar Eclipse

When Ankit Sarwahi gazed at the sky to view the eclipse, he was speechless. "It was so strange to see the sun disappear into complete darkness," he said. "Awesome", "fantastic", "magical," were some words he used to describe the experience.

The longest solar eclipse of the 21st century was witnessed at the crack of dawn by millions of Indians. People gathered on rooftops, planetariums, riverbanks and open grounds to watch this celestial spectacle. A total eclipse occurs every 123 years, when the moon passes between the sun and the earth, completely covering the entire face of the sun. The eclipse was expected to be clearly visible in many places including Surat, Bhopal, Varanasi, Taregna near Patna, and Dibrugarh in Assam. However, in the end, it could only clearly be seen in Varanasi and Dibrugarh.

"It's a rare moment; I never thought I would see this in my life," said Apoorv Prakash, a college student who traveled to Varanasi all the way from Delhi to view the total solar eclipse.

"Vehicles in the city had to use headlights as darkness fell suddenly for three minutes and 48 seconds (the duration of the eclipse)," Prakash said. "People were mesmerized. They were so shocked that they hugged each other and cheered when the eclipse began."

Anubhav Kumar, a resident of Mumbai who had booked his air ticket a month in advance to travel to Varanasi to view this wonder of science said, "It was a life time opportunity. I am incredibly lucky to have seen the sight of the century."

But people like Nishant Sinha and Pratima Kulkarni who traveled all the way from Bangalore to Taregana village near Patna, were disappointed as cloudy skies prevented them from witnessing the rare phenomenon.

Incidentally, it was at Taregna where the ancient astronomer Aryabhatta (or Aryabhatha, 476-550 AD) made detailed and accurate projections about solar and lunar eclipses.

But while thick clouds and heavy rains in various parts of India prevented people from viewing the eclipse in its entirety, residents of Kolkata witnessed a near total eclipse. "The experience was indescribable. As suddenly as it had begun, my first total solar eclipse was over," Sunny Basu said.

The total phase of the eclipse lasted for about 6 minutes and 44 seconds, making it the longest eclipse of the century.