On umbrellas, springs, and superconductivity

An umbrella’s rod consists of multiple cylinders, one around the other, and the spring opens them up in succession. | Photo Credit: REUTERS Well after a few months of a hectic summer, rains are here. The campus is green and nature is once again abundant. With rains, however, has also come a usual game of hide and seek. Every time I take my umbrella out, the rain is nowhere to be seen. But when I forget it, I am greeted by sudden bouts of rain spoiling my ambition to reach my class dry and tidy.Umbrellas, however, have something amazing about them. You press a button and it automatically opens up, stretches itself, and unfolds into a shade, growing much larger than it was. Like a magical genie. Published - September 23, 2026 08:30 am IST