The force of the bhel*
Bangalore Sep 22,
By our special correspondent
In one of the greatest biological science discoveries made over the past decade, two researchers at the Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore claim to have uncovered the rationale behind the well-known “bhel force”. Prof Chawal and Prof Sake, both associated with the department of Biological Maladies at IISc, publicly announced their findings at a hurriedly called press conference yesterday morning. The stunning announcement has been greeted by celebrations of unabated jubilation around the world. The discovery explains one of the most baffling questions put to us by science - why humans get physically drawn towards puffed rice (also called bhel in Hindi). Scientists have struggled to even replicate this scenario in their labs, for the fear of loosing one of their assistants in the process. As a result this enigma has remained largely unquantified and unanswered.
The unusual phenomenon of the bhel force was first observed by the British physician Stephen Paddy in 1895 while being stationed in the tiny village of Bennaganahalli. Writes Dr. Paddy in his journal –“…I was amazed to see a whole family literally stuck to a pot of cooking, puffed rice. The grandfather of the family was crouched in a corner, far away from the smoking chullah, crying away helplessly, and resigning himself to his daily task of feeding and caring for the rest of his family. I have heard from the village folk that the magnitude of attraction begins to wear down as time progresses, and as the rice begins to wither away. But still being stuck to a pot of rice for a good twenty or thirty days is not a cherishable experience...” Dr. Paddy’s journal vividly illustrates the plight of such victims, and victims to be. One such photography from his book shown below recounts the tale of two brothers, minutes before they got sucked into a bag of puffed rice. You can almost hear one of them scream out, “Help! Don’t let the force get me.”
Over the years, as the rest of India and the world slowly awoke to this mysterious and disturbing behaviour, the call for an absolute ban on the production and sale of puffed rice raged around the world. But the ban never came into place. Explains Dr. Sake with a sardonic smile, “Its rather like the Japanese liking for the puffer fish. They know it’s potentially lethal, but still one gets a kick out of eating it.”
According to Dr. Chawal and Dr. Sake, the bhel force can be traced to a basic affinity that the rice cells feel to the sweat bacteria in humans. It may seem far-fetched, but Dr. Chawal says they have strong observational data to state their case. They have even expounded ways to counter the force. Not wanting to further elaborate on their findings at the moment, Dr. Chawal urged the scientific community to wait for the December issue of Nature, where the findings of their research will be published.
Apart from soothing plenty of frayed nerves, this discovery is also bound to shake up the world of physics. According to the classical laws of physics, only four fundamental forces exist in nature - the gravitational forces, electromagnetic forces, and the strong and weak nuclear forces. The discovery of this fifth, and plausibly different force is sure to stir up some feathers. The discovery may also have unfathomable and far-reaching consequences in other domains. The transport industry has for example always fantasized a vehicle driven by “bhel energy”, where the front section of the car with a carton of bhel is fuel powered, and the rest of the car, with the people strapped in is automatically pulled behind! Whether the bhel vehicle finally ends up on the road or remains confined to the realms of science fiction, only time will tell, but for the time being, the corner bhel puri wala can get a big load off his chest.
* For the unacquainted, bhel or puffed rice is served as part of a delicious Indian Snack called bhel puri.
Sidd,
Loved this - very nice one! You have the gift of tying up common occurences and making innovative and entertaining stories..!
Keep writing!
Kanchana
P.S : Specially liked the idea of a "bhel" powered car :-)
Posted by
Anonymous |
September 23, 2005 4:58 AM
wot you does in IISc? if i may ask.
Posted by
MinCat |
September 27, 2005 5:00 AM
hehe this wuz funny, imagine a bhel powered vehichle!!!! You are taking pot shots at a hallowed institution :))
Posted by
silverine |
September 27, 2005 9:16 AM
[Kanchana] - Thanks for the compliment.
[make it new] - unfortunately have never been a student at IISC.
[silverline] - misused it's fame I guess ;)...I love IISc for the beauty of its campus itself!
Posted by
The elderly camel |
September 28, 2005 7:37 AM