Suddenly there’s a power cut. “Darn it!” I cuss and close the book I’m reading. I let my eyes adapt to the darkness before I seek that little waxy pillar to dispel the sudden darkness. Many people seem to have stopped using candles or lamps during emergencies preferring gadgets such as rechargeable lamps, solar lamps, LED bulbs, etc. I think these conveniences are suitable only for factories and shops, not homes. The light from LED bulbs seems more fake than artificial.
In the 1948 book Readings from the Scientists (Edward Mason, Ed.) is a piece titled ‘The Chemical History of a Candle’. Written by Michael Faraday who hardly had schooling, this piece makes profitable reading for primary school children. It is a simple and elegant exposition on something as common as a burning candle from the moment it is lit until the flame is snuffed.
In my childhood, some 50 years back, my mother used kerosene lamps. They were ubiquitous when power cuts were frequent. They could be mounted on walls, and produced some soot. Perhaps kerosene lamps were used because they lasted longer than candles, which were also more expensive. Which would I choose? For ease of maintenance alone, I would choose the candle. My candle is firmly affixed in the waxy grave of its predecessors contained in a glass holder.
