MY CAR’S WINDSCREEN AND PRINCE RUPERT’S TEAR DROPS

 

 

        Two weeks ago, I took my car out to get our weekly groceries. I noticed a tiny, about half an inch crack in the windscreen right at the bottom on the driver’s side. It did not seem serious, and it was not in my field of vision. I did not worry much.

        After the shopping when I was back home, I noticed the crack had gone a bit longer.  In the evening we went for dinner to a friend’s house who lived in about 30 miles away. Next morning, I noticed the crack has become much longer, about 15 inches.  I did not go over any big pothole in the night, did not hit anything, how did the crack get so big?

        I got worried that soon the whole screen might fall off.  I remembered the phenomenon of exploding “Prince Rupert’s Drops”.
        I had read about them in a magazine only last week. When molten glass is dropped in a bucket of cold water it forms a tear drop shape with a slender curved tail, like a human sperm. The head is so strong that it cannot be broken even when struck with a bullet. But a tiny twist or tinkle on the tail can easily break not only the tail but also shatters the head into tiny pieces. https://youtu.be/24q80ReMyq0  

They were first made in Germany. In 1660 Prince
Rupert of Rhine presented some to king Charles II of England. He was very intrigued with their unique property and asked the newly constructed Royal Society for finding the scientific basis behind the phenomenon. The riddle has taken almost 400 years to unravel the physics behind it with the help of scientists from all over the world.  

        A recent study by S. Chandrasekar at Purdue University and M. M. Chaudhri at the University of Cambridge, was published in 2016¹. It showed that fast cooling of the outer layers of the glass hardens it rapidly and constricts the yet warm liquid glass in the centre. The fast cooling of outer layer makes a very high surface compressive stress. This layer is thin but super strong. A force applied to it, just cannot enter the head, but when the narrow tail is broken the shock wave travels through the inner core towards the head which explodes from within. https://youtu.be/lt-zvsGvtqg

I panicked, at once rang my car insurance company. The lady was very calm, she said “not to worry, the glass pane will not break into pieces as it was made of laminated glass. She will send the glass engineer who will fix it.”  When? I asked.  she checked and rang back; the earliest date was 3 days later.

  I did not dare to drive the car for the next 3 days till the Autoglass engineer came.  After examining my windscreen, he explained that there was a small chip in the glass right at the beginning of the crack. It was caused by a loose gravel on the road surface. These small, shallow craters are quite common and can be easily repaired at that stage. But if not repaired, cracks get bigger with vibrations in the glass when one drives the car. Once large cracks appear the whole windscreen must be replaced, which was the case with my car.

How long it will take to replace the wind screen? I asked thinking it may take a few days. He said that he would do it here and now. It would take about an hour and a half.

He rang me later to say that he has finished, and I should come down to check it. I did. it looked good and everything worked.  I thanked him profusely.

Though the shattering of the Rupert’s teardrops caused me to panic, if I would have researched a bit more, I would have also known that initial early Royal Society studies on the ‘Drops’ did result in development of shatter resistant, tempered glass which was patented in as early as 1874!

1. On the extraordinary strength of Prince Rupert's drops

H. Aben; J. Anton; M. Õis; K. Viswanathan; S. Chandrasekar; M. M. Chaudhri

Appl. Phys. Lett. 109, 231903 (2016)

A ROYAL WELL IN A PRETTY ENGLISH VILLAGE: A GIFT FROM HIS HIGHNESS MAHARAJA OF BENARAS

Yesterday, we went to see a friend who lives in another town. We could have gone there by the motorway; it would have been much faster. But as the weather was so nice, we decided to go by the scenic route taking smaller roads.

We were passing through a pretty village called Stoke Row. Suddenly we saw a small signboard which said "Ishree Bagh" and a few yards further there was another sign "Maharajah's Well".  Intriguing eh!  I reversed my car and parked near the sign.

We walked to the Well which looked very impressive with a grand multicoloured gilded dome. Inscribed on the dome was "his highness maharaja of Benares". 

Under the dome there was a mechanized green pulley system to withdraw water from the deep well. On the top of this device was a statue of a golden elephant!

The information board nearby told an amazing story.

There used be severe scarcity of clean water in this hilly area. In 1860 Maharaja of Benares Ishree Pershad came to know about the plight of the poor villagers and decided to donate money to dig a deep well in this village. It took about a year to dig this 368 feet deep well and it was opened on 24th of May,1864 on Queen Victoria's birthday. Adjacent to it an orchard was designed and named as Ishree Bagh after the Maharaja. There was also a Machchli pokhra and Prabhu Teela named after his adopted son and heir Prabhu Narayan.

Prabhu Teela

Maharaja of Benaras also generously paid for the upkeep of the whole complex over many decades.

Of course, the well is not in use anymore but the well and the Bagh are well maintained by the Heritage fund UK.

Maharaja Ishree Pershad was also a great poet-scholar, he established the Sanskrit College in Benaras. He was also the mentor of Babu Bhartendu Harischandra who is known as father of modern Hindi. (From Wikipedia)

Bibha and I immensely enjoyed this tranquil lovely spot and its unique history. We had a cup of nice coffee and tasty cake at the cafe com Farm shop in the village and continued our journey.

GLOSSARY

Benaras:  now known as Varanasi, a holy city in India.

Bagh:  an orchard 

Ishree Pershad: Ishwari Prashad Narayan Singh 

Machchli pokhra: Fishpond

Teela: a mound

Well-Keeper's Hut and Ishree Bagh

A CATHEDRAL REACHING FOR THE HEAVENS AND A BRIDGE HEAVING WITH LOVE.

 

You tell someone that you are going to Cologne and the listener immediately says, “to see the cathedral?” One of the largest gothic churches with its over five hundred feet tall double spires aspiring to touch the heavens, looked more majestic and awe-inspiring, when I saw it in person last week than the images I had seen on Google. It was there just in front of us as we came out of the cologne central train station. We could have spent hours there but for the tiredness from the plane and train journey.

We had to move and find our hotel which was fortunately not too far. Once in the room, after a strong cup of coffee and a quick face wash we came out and walked to the Domplatz (Cathedral Square.) We walked around cathedral admiring the exquisite carvings covering every square inch of the walls and the doors. We did not go inside, that was for tomorrow. Savour the dish patiently.

We walked to the promenade on the riverbank. There was a tourist boat about to go cruising on the river, we ran and managed to get aboard. Cruising on river with the setting sun, passing under the arches of multiple bridges on the Rhine was picturesque. The grand spires of the cologne cathedral on the bank were always visible providing an interesting backdrop.

Next day early morning after a hearty breakfast at the hotel we slowly walked to the cathedral and queued at the entrance. When I asked, if a ticket was needed, the clergyman at the door said, “not unless you want to climb over 500 steps to the top of the south spire”. I said, “If it was 490 steps, I would have done it.” we both laughed. Inside was as magnificent, if not more, as outside with its high arched beamed roof, brightly coloured stained-glass windows, ultra-high monolithic black marble altar and many other invaluable objects d’art. No wonder it is a UNESCO world heritage site.

    Walking behind the cathedral towards the river Rhine, we saw a triple arched ornate bridge with a glittering fence. As the Sun was directly opposite it, the fence seemed like studded with multi-coloured jewels. This was Hohenzollern Bridge one of the ten most famous love-lock bridges in the world.

     We climbed the rampart and walked on the footpath along the bridge. The fence on either side is covered with thousands of small locks which lovers have put there and thrown the keys in the river with the hope of eternal love. The inscriptions on the locks made an interesting reading. It is neither the longest nor the widest bridge in Germany, but it is certainly one of the most picturesque with the imposing gothic spires of cologne Cathedral on west bank and a very tall cylindrical building (Koln triangle) on the east bank, thus joining the old and new, metaphysical, and materialistic. The wide simmering Rhine underneath reflected these structures in reverse.
  

We came down the rampart of the bridge on the other side and walked to the Cologne Triangle building. At its roof there is a panoramic observation deck over three hundred feet above the ground. It gave a jaw dropping view of the beautiful city with hundreds of spires, domes, and parks. The Rhine with its multiple bridges, flowing through middle of the city added the proverbial cherry on the cake.

By the time we reached our hotel we were extremely tired, but it was worth it. We slept like a log.

    Next day we visited the large, multi-storey Ludwig Museum which has an extensive collection of modern and contemporary art from the beginning of the 20th century up to the present including a substantial display of Picasso’s paintings, drawings, and sculptures. The building itself is an architectural gem. We had our lunch in the artistically decorated restaurant at the ground floor. And then we spent another few hours exploring the top floor.

Third day, we had to slow down and lazily walked around in the city centre and the charming Old Town. We bought a few gifts and souvenirs. We also enjoyed the street cafes and had Kölsch Beer at a Brauhaus. Later in the evening we walked on the surrounding cobbled streets then sat at the steps of the cathedral, soaking the ambience.

Bonn, the birthplace of Beethoven is only half an hour away from cologne by train. It was the capital of Germany after the second world war till 1990. It is also one of the oldest cities in Germany, founded by the Romans in the first century AD and is steeped in history. It would be a sacrilege not to visit. We spent one whole day exploring the main attractions of the city, the Beethoven’s monument and house, Old Town hall, Bonn-Munster, Opera house, Remigius Church, Rhine Promenade, Alter Zoll, Hofgarten and Market square.

At Beethoven’s house, seeing that many people have written in Japanese and Hebrew, Bibha wrote in the Guest book in Bhojpuri in Devanagari script!

Next day in Cologne we walked along the riverbank and enjoyed the large sculpture park and vast Botanical Garden. We took the ropeway from there to go on the east bank. From high up above the Rhine we had another panoramic look on the city. 

On the east bank is the Cologne’s largest and most beautiful garden Rhine Garden with multiple fountains, ponds, sculptures and of course the trees, shrubs, flowers, and ducks. It was created in 1957 on forty-eight hectares of rubble and debris from World War II, rising like a phoenix. We walked around in the park till late in the evening and the took a train back over the bridge to our side of the river. 

There we had to search the original 4711 Eau de Cologne store where from this popular perfume originated in early 18^th century. 4711 was the building number that was given in 1794 during the French occupation of the city. We had problem in locating it. Though the building is big, but the shop is very small and full of tourists, but we did find it after missing it twice!

There was much more to explore and enjoy in Cologne and the surrounding areas, but alas, our holiday was for  meagre 5 days.

 

A Short Visit to Historic and Vibrant Madrid

 

We went to Madrid last month. The weather was warm and sunny but not too hot just as we like it. A light cotton jacket in early mornings and late evenings was all that was needed. The big anorak and the wind-cheater I look with me remained hanging in the wardrobe. As the weather here in UK was cold and we went to the airport in the morning, I had no option but to carry them. There was also one more but very important factor; lately, the weather has become much more volatile making any meteorological prediction unreliable even for a week.

When one is at home the appropriate clothing is not a problem. On a holiday, one has limited options. You cannot take more than a few clothes unless you pay through nose. The luggage allowance has slowly gone smaller and costlier particularly for short haul flights. One must pay for even a cabin-bag, the size and weight of which shouldn’t be more than a crisp bag!

We chose Madrid not just for the weather but also because it ticked almost all the boxes for a good city break. Its rich historical heritage and vibrant culture is evident all over the city, particularly in the architecture of famous buildings, well curated museums, large gardens, and other landmarks. Also, I always wanted to see classic Spanish opera and authentic flamenco dance.  

The public transport system was another big influence in our decision; the trains, buses, trams, and metro are all well interlinked and comprehensive, The fare is low. I could not believe it that there were frequent and regular electric buses on many routes which were completely free!

Wherever we go we like to see all the things that a place is known for, Madrid was no exception, we made a big list of  famous palaces, museums, churches, plazas, parks, sculptures, shops, restaurants, and a flamenco theatre.

As both, Bibha and I don’t have a passion for football or bullfighting, we did not plan to visit Real Madrid stadium or the Las Ventas the bullfighting ring. Some go to Madrid just for these. Horses for courses.

We stayed in Madrid for Five days; we walked so much in first two days that on the 3^rd day we had to take it easy, we stayed mostly in and around our hotel which was right in the city centre on Gran Via near plaza opera and plaza sol. We had to cancel our day trip to Toledo which we had scheduled for the day.  But we did not regret it. We leisurely passed the day eating, drinking (mostly coffee and fruit juice), people watching and window shopping. This gave us a good feel of the hustle and bustle of the city, the local cuisines, shops, and the people.

Of course, one cannot do justice by visiting a city like Madrid just for a few days. We did not manage to see even all that was on our itinerary. But with what we did see, we got a good glimpse of the heart of city. We found the followings most interesting and amusing. We walked to some of these which were near our hotel (Hotel Atlantico) in the city centre. For the rest we used the local buses and Metro which I think are best in Europe. I am not describing the places in detail as one can easily look them up on the google.

v  Royal place,

v  CentroCentro in Cibeles Palace

v  Prado museum

v  Sofia Raina museum

v  Plazas: Sol, Mayer, Espana and Cibeles and the sculptural fountains of Cibeles, Apollo and Neptune

v  Shops: El Corte Inglés, Zara,

v  Food Court: Mercado de San Miguel.

v  Flamenco dance show:   one we saw was excellent at Torres Bermejas

v  Al Reteiro park which also includes Casa De Vacas, Crystal Palace, Palacio De Velázquez,  

We would have really liked to stay longer but our flight back was booked. Leaving Madrid felt sad and premature as we flew back to wet and cold London. The memory of the warm and energetic Madrid kept us smiling.

Digital Photographic Volume Explosion: Losing The Tree in the Wood!

A Dutch artist Erik Kessels  has unveiled an exhibit which features a million photos that were uploaded to Flickr, Facebook and Google over a 24 hour period.

 

On our recent visit to India, I took about 500 photos and 50 short videos. We were there for only twenty days. My wife also took approximately the same amount if not more. It is true, we attended two family weddings, both in very picturesque cities. We also visited one of world’s most beautiful and most photographed monument; Taj Mahal. But even after making allowance for these, 50 photographs per day seems a lot!  

As you might have guessed all these snaps were taken on our phones. The cameras on recent phones are so good that in quality they can even compete with many high-end and large free-standing cameras. The mobile phone is almost always at hand. We, like many others have completely stopped slugging a separate camera even on our holidays.

The ease of use and constant availability means that most of us are taking a large number of photos. As these photos and videos taken on phone are so easy to share, we end have collecting even more. This has given rise to two major problems, quality control and storage.

In past before this digital revolution, the films and their processing were costly, we took a great care in choosing the subject, fussing about light and composing the scene, In a year I wouldn’t have taken more than hundred photos. At least one third of those, if not more, would be discarded after the prints came back. These photographs were personal and were shared with only few close family and friends.

And then came the digital photographic volume explosion when mobile phone married the digital camera. Initially their resolution was low but soon that improved. My first mobile phone with camera had a resolution of 2 megapixels and the present one has 108 megapixel! With this kind of resolution each photograph takes a lot of storage memory.

Because it is so easy to click, at no immediate cost and instant gratification, we take multiple photographs of anything and everything almost compulsively. At that moment we think, we would edit them later and discard the unwanted but most of us never accomplish that with the rigor and vigour required to do so. The result; the ever increasing need for storage memory and a lot of poor-quality and irrelevant photos. According to one estimate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2.5 million gigabytes of data is being added every day, a good chunk of which is from mass digital photography*. Our phones, laptops are easily getting filled up and even online storage is becoming problematic.

As we are snapping more and more banal and mundane things, we lose the sight of what is wonderful, life enriching and special. If Gold was available with the same abundance as Coal, will it still be cherished and valued as much?

*https://news.mit.edu/2021/dna-data-storage-0610