Dark side of eclipse: No breakfast at eateries

A ‘Ring of Fire’ against the morning sky in the form of an the annular solar eclipse is set to cast a dark spell on the daily lives of the citizens disrupting several activities. Citing the effects of the eclipse, many have either cancelled their engagements or deferred activities until the completion of the event.

The start of the second day’s play of the ongoing Ranji match between Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh at Mysuru has also been delayed due to the eclipse.

According to sources, the match will start an hour and 45 minutes later than the scheduled time of 9.30 am due to the solar eclipse. Match referee P Ranganath, in consultation with KSCA, has decided to defer the start of the match.

Causing inconvenience to people, several restaurants across Bengaluru will remain closed on Thursday morning.

Subramanya Holla, secretary, The Bruhath Bangalore Hotels Association which has 1,800 hotels as members said, “About 40% of the hotels will remain shut in the morning session. We are also closing our hotel in the morning. Most of the hotels that serve breakfast will either be shut or have partial service.”

But several rationalists groups and science clubs have geared up to serve breakfast to the public at Town Hall and Lalbagh besides making arrangements for public viewing of the rare celestial event.

Interestingly, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has no official engagement until 4 pm on Thursday. However, it is unclear whether it is due to the eclipse.

Dr Bhujang Shetty, chairman and executive director, Narayana Nethralaya said, “The awe-inspiring event should not be viewed, even for a short time, without proper eye protection.”

He warned that sun gazing during a solar eclipse or even during normal daylight hours can burn a spot in the retina, which can lead to permanent blindness. Also known as solar retinopathy, damage to the retinal tissues caused due to exposure to solar radiation can affect the way images are transmitted to the brain.

“People affected by solar retinopathy may experience decreased vision, distorted vision, blind spots (central scotomas), light sensitivity (photophobia), disruption of colour perception (chromatopsia) and headaches,” said Dr Shetty.