In Taregna,a little eclipse,large prayer

At the 200-year-old Fakirbara Masjid in Dariyapur,Imam Mohd Atiqullah raised his pitch to tell the congregation that the solar eclipse was a manifestation of the Almightys anger.....

At the 200-year-old Fakirbara Masjid in Dariyapur,Imam Mohd Atiqullah raised his pitch to tell the congregation that the solar eclipse was a manifestation of the Almightys anger,and a reminder that creation will end. The gathering of nearly 60 men prostrated,and around 6 am bowed their heads as the eclipse plunged them into daylight darkness.

As the solar eclipse swept through the northeast towards Mongolia,where it would fade out with the sunset,superstition trailed it. Prayers werent unusual on the day the heavens and earth entered into a rare alignment,and in Taregna,a subdivisional town 30 km off Patna that NASA proclaimed as the best place to view the total solar eclipse,the lone mosque performed Kusoof or the eclipse prayer.

When the moon came in between the sun and the earth at 6.21 am,the men rubbed their heads against the cold stone floor of the mosque. Outside,thousands donned protective eyeglasses and prepared to watch the centurys longest eclipse.

In the distance,a light bulb flickered,and raindrops diluted the rest of the sermon as the moon cast its shadow,eclipsing the sun,chewing away at the edges of the golden sphere. As the sun stayed partially hidden behind clouds,it wasnt the spectacle that astronomers had predicted it would be,but at 6.21 am,darkness descended.

On the streets,where 35,000 had gathered including astronomers,scientists,stargazers from near and afar,and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar children made the most of the 3 minutes,48 seconds of the eclipse,staring away at the son ignoring worried mothers. But the faithful remained bent in prayer.

They have all turned it into a tamasha,a drama. This is a moment of the Almightys anger. We should not look at Him directly. Thats why Prophet Mohammed said that during eclipse men must gather in congregations in a mosque and turn to prayers, Atiqullah said.

At the sprawling ghats on the banks of the Ganga,women crouched in water with folded hands,looking at the sun directly. They had come to save their god,who the demons threatened. So they would remain submerged in the holy river,chanting mantras till the ruler of the night conceded defeat over the ruler of the day,they said.

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Mithila Devi had travelled all the way from Darbhanga. We are not scared. If our god is in trouble,it is to us to save him, Devi,50,said. Can you see now that the eclipse is slowly getting over? Its because we prayed.

While Muslims and Hindus did what they believed in to mitigate the effects of the eclipse,churches were quiet. Father Dominic Emmanuel,spokesman of the Delhi Catholic Archdiocese,said there was no mention of an eclipse in the Bible. It doesnt mean much to us.