My India 16- 1950-55

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Reverting to the deadly grip of Rahu Kalam on AP folks, here are two aphorisms:

1. Converted Beggar (Blogger) Loses Time-Sense

2. Converted Theist Loses Sense

One of my learned relatives, R, was a Progressive Radical Atheist dedicated to rubbishing all miracle-claims of Godmen and such to lure ignorant folks to their Faith and Fold.

Those days I used to enjoy his company once in a while.

All of a sudden, some Miracle-Cure happened in his life, as it does in everyone's; Life on Earth itself being a Cosmic Miracle of sorts. Then and there he turned a somersault and became a Converted Theist falling head over heels into the gang of a famous Godman of the South. No problem. I just wished to avoid his company, knowing the unbridled enthusiasm of such Fresh Converts (3 decades on, he has sort of cooled down and is non-committal).

But while the going was great, he happened to be our Leader in a Wedding Party, in-charge of Transport. Myself and my wife were in a haste to start early so we don't miss our connecting long-distance train. When all the luggage and folks were uploaded and the driver was about to start the Van, he rushed in and announced that all of us are required to disembark and cool our heels for an hour.

I got down and asked him why. He replied that the Oldest Lady of the Group discovered that we are right in the middle of Rahu Kalam of the Day and she wouldn't get in come what may.

I collared him (metaphorically) and asked him since when he started believing in such mumbojumbo. He replied that he learned that Rahu is the worst of all planets, worse than even Shani, and he would take no chances with the safety of the Wedding Party. Unfortunately, though he was University First in his PG, he was not a student of Science. So, I had to ask him to locate this planet Rahu for me in the sky-chart. He said he had no idea, but since all planets have gravitational pulls on us, Rahu should also have a rather terrific pull.

I had to then tell him that there is no such 'Heavenly Body' called Rahu at all and that it is just a 'node'. He asked me what a node was. I told him rather pithily that it is just a direction in the sky. He quizzed me how then it could 'eclipse' such a Celestial Star like our Sun. I had to tell him the that it is not Rahu, but the placid, cool and velvety Moon that eclipses our beloved Sun. He was dismayed and was on the point of reconverting back to Rationality, but the 'gravitational pull' of his Godman was a thousand times more powerful than the pull of a 'mere' mortal's words.

We just about made the connecting train.

And there followed quickly this Total Solar Eclipse of October 1995, which was just grazing KGP. At KGP it was 99% but within 30 KM of KGP, it was Total, for as long as a minute perhaps. There was wild enthusiasm among the Science Societies of IIT KGP and they planned several Scientific Expeditions (like Eddington's) into the Jungles of West Midnapore, which were then free from the present-day Rahus, which are threatening to eclipse the LF.

Anupam was one such enthusiast, planning a Train Trip to Kolaghat. He met me a few days before and invited me to join. I said I can watch the Solar Eclipse beautifully sitting in my First Floor Balcony. He asked me if I would see through tainted glasses. I replied that I would see with no glasses at all, with naked eyes. He was solicitous about the UV and all that till I explained that I would be watching the Sun's 'image'. He asked if I have a telescope sort of a thing. I told him I have something better. For myself, I would watch the ground under our tall Bokul tree; but for my son's edification I also had arranged a Movie Show on our Bedroom Wall, using just a broken mirror.

He was curious and asked me to explain. I said end-October was just the time when our Bokul tree starts shedding its autumnal leaves, leaving a hundred gaps in the foliage, which would work as 'Pin-Hole Cameras' casting a hundred wonderful images of the eclipsing Sun on the ground. He couldn't swallow that 'odd-ball shaped' gaps in the foliage could cast 'true' images of the Sun. I told him to keep watching the ground during his Train Journey to Kolaghat and report to me the result of his observations the day after the Event.

He returned from his expedition, and the first thing he did was to rush to my Office excited beyond belief that he could watch the progress of the eclipse for free, and a thousand times, by just keeping a watch on the ground, while his team-mates were fighting for a place behind their sole reflecting telescope.

The first time I met Anupam was in an awkward context. He just joined IIT KGP Physics, renouncing his One-Year B. Tech in EE at BIT, Mesra (?), much against his parents' will; and was eagerly awaiting his first Physics Lecture Class. The teacher happened to be the then HoD, Prof K, making his wait all that much more keen.

Prof K, while a wizard at Experimental Physics, was not too keen on Theory and had a habit of 'entanglement' with unspoiled First Year kids. And I had to do the needful.

So, the door of my Office (C-229) had a violent knock. Opening it I found Prof K, hefty, red-faced, angry, combating a lean short fair but unmoving kid chasing him all the way up the Phy Corridor.

Prof K told me 'demolish' this upstart, who was claiming that a conducting sheet of charge can produce a 'uniform undiminished Electric Field' any distance away from it; which is clearly absurd, but the kid was buttressing his claims with pill-boxes and Gauss Law and stuff. The kid was eagerly looking at me and Prof K in turn. And I was doing the same; just as did Prof K (in all 3 pairs of eyes doing their ogling).

I then remembered my English Lesson from Class XII, titled 'Sir Roger's Judgments', a wonderful selection of episodes from Addison & Steele's 'Spectator', still alive and kicking.

Sir Roger was famous for his 'cat-on-the-fence' pronouncement: "Much can be said on both sides".

As it happened, I was sandwiched between the two contestants, so I was winking with the left eye to one and the right eye to the other and said:

"Both of you are right. The kid is 'Idealistic' while you are 'Realistic'. The Prof is talking about REAL Charged Sheets in the Lab. If you could produce an 'INFINITE' sheet of charge, then and then only you are right."

Prof K was very pleased and left victoriously (but doubtfully, perhaps); and Anupam and I became 'friends' then on for, let me see, the next 19 years [last I heard from him was from the Bohr Institute at Copenhagen, saying he found my SDM Homage very 'passionately written' (come on!)].

More about Pin-Hole Camera tomorrow. Exciting stuff!


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