I am back from a trip to Panchagarh, a sleepy town 42 km from the India border in Northwest Bangladesh. The 470 km bus-ride from Dhaka to Panchagarh was backbreaking and my ears are still jarring from the effect of the loud music and the incessant honking of the horn. But I am not complaining. First, I have seen worse in India. Second, the scenes of village life unfolding on either side of the highway were more than adequate compensation. Third, how often do you get to see a total solar eclipse in your life?

Cloudy skies marred a clear view of the celestial spectacle, but the sun eventually shone (or should I say peeped) through the haze in all its regalia. The moon covered more and more of the sun, reducing it to a sliver. With only minutes to go for totality, darkness and with it a strange hush descended on the place. The whole experience culminated in the magnificent Baily’s beads and the thousands of sky-gazers who had gathered at the stadium at Panchagarh on the morning of 22^nd July to witness the once-in-a-lifetime event erupted in a mad, synchronised cheer.