The longest solar eclipse in this century is scheduled to become visible on the west coast of India at dawn on Wednesday (NASA has images and charts showing where the eclipse will be visible and when)…For millions of Indians, the rare astronomical event is a source of dread.

The pending eclipse has become a stage where fact and myth, modern science and Hindu mythology are competing for public acceptance….

For many Indians of all classes, astrology is an active and vital part of everyday life. Couples consult astrologers about auspicious days to marry. The days deemed to be most fortuitous can sometimes seem like citywide holidays, with scores of marriages filling the city with the wail of brass bands and the thump of fireworks – both common features at Indians’ routinely elaborate wedding ceremonies….

Indian soothsayers have warned that pregnant women should cover the windows and stay indoors on Wednesday, lest the dark forces associated with the eclipse deform their unborn children. Astrologers in India have warned of impending terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and civil wars too.

Hindu mythology blames eclipses on the demon Rahu – who is variously depicted as a snake or a dragon or a disembodied head – who swallows the sun.

Fortunately our western society has been cleansed for the most part of superstition. Thank God we are washed in the blood of the lamb.

Thanks, K B