‘Aid Without Religion Trust’ Viewed & Enjoyed Annular Solar Eclipse with the Citizens
Mangaluru: While others look upon an eclipse as a catastrophe and disaster waiting strike, we rationalists look upon it as a natural occurrence to be viewed and enjoyed. Every time an eclipse comes around we make it a point to enjoy the same and also break the taboos associated with the same. While the streets of Mangalore are empty with people staying indoors and even temples being closed we always keep ourselves exposed to the sun as much as possible, particularly during eclipses.
For the Annular Solar Eclipse in December 2019, we had even exposed ourselves to the eclipsed sun in the swimming pool to show that nothing will happen. And that each one of us who did that is hale and hearty goes a long way to dispel this. This time too we wanted it to be so but it could not be done due to restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, a few families decided to have the usual events in a closed manner keeping in view the needs for distancing. So, we gathered in front of the swimming pool at around 10 am. Though the physical distancing norms were to be maintained the same is not applicable to members of the same family. So most of those present were so.
Dr Krishnappa Konchady with his wife Sunanda, The Prabhus- Narahari and Sushma with their children Kartik and Sonali and Pushparaj Boloor with his son Gaurav who is a sixth standard student. Arun, Vivek and Mayoor from the article 51 ah club, Shyama Sundar Rao, Hariyappa Pejawar were from the Aid without religion Trust and the managing trustee Narendra Nayak with his spouse Asha was also present.
Though the weather created problems, we managed to have a glimpse of the eclipsed sun using the special viewers and also made our point of eating under the eclipsed sun. We have been doing this for decades to dispel the superstition that eating during an eclipse causes all sorts of diseases!
Report submitted by: Narendra Nayak- President, Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations and Managing trustee, ‘Aid Without Religion Trust’.
