For instance, a drop of water seems to form a spherical shape because each water molecule is surrounded by other water molecules. Cohesion describes the tendency of water molecules to attract one another. It rests on the principles of adhesion, cohesion and surface tension, which are properties shared by many liquids. A New York Times headline from September 22, 1995, declared, in a subtitle infused with a healthy dose of snark: “Some Hindus Flock But Scientists Mock.”īut despite the gullibility implied by the sonic harmony of the Times subhead, capillary action is not a widely understood scientific principle. However, because a thin layer of milk is nearly colorless, the diffusion of the liquid had not been previously visible. Scientists explained that the statue had been absorbing milk this way all along. The scientists arrived at the original temple where the “miracle” had first been reported to perform an experiment with milk that had been dyed with food coloring.Īs the level of liquid in the spoon diminished, the colored milk diffused into the statue, coating it with the same hue. Researchers from India’s Ministry of Science and Technology visited the temple to test a different hypothesis: the milk was disappearing due to capillary action-the propensity of liquid to flow into narrow spaces without the assistance of, or even in opposition to, external forces like gravity. Scientists, of course, were skeptical about the idea of celestial intervention. Bearing bells, incense, tin containers, and garlands strung with yellow marigolds, people visited their local temples and knelt before Ganesha’s shrine, thanking him for his revelation. So many people flooded to pray at temples across the country, especially in New Delhi, that the crowds brought traffic to a standstill. Milk sales in New Delhi jumped more than 30 percent on that day.
Capillary actio trial#
He woke the neighborhood priest, who confirmed the man’s observation with a trial of his own.Īs the news spread, thousands of people soon lined up at temples in India, and abroad to serve the God of New Beginnings, also known as the Remover of Obstacles, and watch him drink. The devotee was astonished to see the liquid disappear from the metal spoon he tipped towards Ganesha’s lips. While most worshippers leave basins of milk around the base of Ganesha’s shrine, one man in New Delhi attempted early that morning to feed the deity. Iyah told me that on September 21, 1995, Ganesha had given a sign to human beings and made himself known in a gesture that thrilled millions of Hindus around the world. The sofa cover was faded and worn, but through the fray of tattered cloth lay the vestiges of a vibrant pattern: colorful circles concealed by age. I followed him to the couch in the living room of his home in Queens, and his body heaved slightly into the cushion. He occasionally dabbed his moist, blind right eye.
Capillary actio skin#
His hair was gray, and his skin was furrowed like his wrinkled handkerchief. “Come here, I’d like to speak with you,” Iyah began one evening. The open-air granite shrines remained intact despite the massive debris the torrents carried ashore on every side. He told me that during the catastrophic Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, the seawater had burst 50 feet past the Hindu temple on Chennai's beach. Iyah told me about Saraswati, the goddess he had dedicated a temple to, how she was the goddess of knowledge and education, how education was the most sacred gift in the world. He told me how Rama protected all fearful children, how his breath, dancing in the resonant flute he carried, produced a song so beautiful it could still any trembling. He told me how, when Ganesha, the elephant-headed deity, was asked to circle the universe three times, he traced three circles around his parents.
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