About Indian Monsoon

India is a land full of wide geographical varieties and here is one of the most dramatic and crucial differences of seasons, that is the world over the monsoon. The term monsoon is an Arabic name: (Mausim) meaning season. In India, monsoon is not merely a weather condition; it is cultural, economic, and climatic beat to which the lives of millions are set. The season of monsoon brings with its huge gusts of wind, torrential showers and transformative effects on the landscape and is anticipated with excitement and faced with trepidation.

The Science Behind the Rainfall

The difference in the rate of heating of the Indian sub-continent and the neighbouring waters is key to Indian rainfall. When summer comes along, the Indian sub-continent warms earlier than do waters around it.  This brings about the formation of a region of low pressure to be transported over the land surface that enhances the humid winds of Indian Ocean to be worsened. They are southwest monsoon winds which come with immense rainfall and in Kerala, they are supposed to begin around the first week of June.

There are two major monsoon systems in India:

• Southwest Monsoon (June to September) – This is the most common rainfall season and accounts to about 75 percent of the total rainfall in India.
• North-eastern Monsoon (October to December) – This monsoon has a major impact on the south-eastern coast especially Tamil Nadu and few portions of Andhra Pradesh.

The Onset and Progress of the Monsoon

The southwest monsoon is especially monitored upon its arrival every year. It started in Kerala and slowly sweeps through the country in phases. By July, the main part of the Indian subcontinent falls under the influence of the monsoon. The monsoon wave is described by the lovely cooling of very hot weather, grey and cloudy atmosphere and the first rains refreshing the scorched land.

Monsoon winds are broken into two branches:

The Arabian Sea Branch – It helps in making Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra to have an abundant rainfall as it borders the Western Ghats.

Bay of Bengal Branch – Tries to the northeast, foothills of Himalaya and affecting West Bengal, Assam, and then north-central India.

The retreat of monsoons begins in September in the north west and recedes south, forming the way to the northeast monsoon.

Monsoon and Agriculture: The Lifeblood of Indian Economy

In India, where more than 50 percent of population works in the field and a major part of the agricultural process is rain-fed, the monsoon is the key influencer of agricultural yields. Crops such as rice, sugarcane, cotton and pulses are very temperature sensitive and their production highly relies on adequate and fallen rain.

An excellent rainy season means a high crop, high rural income and high consumption. It minimises irrigation requirements, and recharges ground water table and fills up reservoirs, rivers, which are all imperative to the agrarian economy. On the flipside, a poor unpredictable monsoon would mean drought, agricultural losses, shortage in food and economic shock especially among the rural communities.

The Monsoon’s Impact on Daily Life

India Monsoon shapes all the lives of people including their dressing and mode of transportation. The rains are indeed the much-needed relief against the heat of summer that bedevils cities, however they bring water logging, traffic snarls and infrastructure failures. Cities such as Mumbai and Kolkata are easily associated with a flooded street and a late train, and the countryside with the broken street and washed-out connectivity.

But the rainy season has also got a romantic appeal. The auditory effect of a rainfall, smell of moisture-filled ground (also called petrichor), and lush green views that ensue are a distinctive combination of senses. Families get to stay in cap with hot tea and snacks, schools hold rain walks and artists and poets get a rush of inspiration over the dramatic skies and melancholic essence of the season.

Indian Culture and Literature

Indian culture, arts and spirituality are deeply rooted to monsoon. Malhar is a raga of the classical Indian music that is traditionally considered able to bring rain. There are various folk dances and songs in different areas that welcome the coming of the rains and in most of those, the rains are synonymous with fertility, love, and longing.

The monsoon signifies change and lust in literature. Ancient Indian poetic works like, the Meghaduta (The Cloud Messenger) by Kalidasa, revolve around the idea of a lover communicating with help of a cloud during rainy season. Even the modern writers portrayed the monsoon as the symbol of emotional strife and rebirth. The monsoon has been eternalized in the numerous songs and scenes which Indian cinema, particular Bollywood, treats it that way lovers dancing in the rain, rain drenched landscapes and storms.

Challenges and Hazards

Although monsoon brings life and prosperity to others, it carries interesting risks with it as well. During rainy season, floods, landslides and water borne diseases are the norm. Assam, Bihar and Kerala are other states that are usually affected by very terrible flooding that displaces thousands of people, destroy property and crops.

Cities that have been poorly designed in terms of drainage systems experience water logging that causes accidents, health complications and destruction of infrastructure. The heavy rains would cause landslides in the hilly areas, which are fatal. Besides, monsoon- its occurrence late, lop-sided or too early is a problem on the aspect of planning in such aspects as agriculture, water resource management and disaster preparedness.

Climate Change

The Indian rainfall is also recently starting to change because of climate change. There is scientific evidence and meteorological data that, although there is not yet any significant reduction in the amount of rainfall as a whole, there is an increasing pattern that its occurrence is becoming erratic. This includes:

• Shorter intervals of high concentration rainfalls led to flash floods.
• Drier periods with sudden intense rainfalls.
• Increased incidence of severe weather and other occurrences such as cyclones, cloudburst.

Such changes endanger food security, water supply and health care. To deal with these challenges, the Indian government and weather agencies are developing better forecasting systems, transgression-resistant agriculture, and better disaster response systems.

Tourism and Scenic Beauty

All that beauty of the lovely rainfall comes at considerable inconvenience. The hill stations and countryside turn into a green and beautiful scene. Rivers overflow and waterfalls stream with new strength, forests blossom. Regions like:

In Kerala, Munnar and Wayanad

Cherrapunji and Mawlynnong in Meghalaya

In the north, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh

Goa and Konkan on the west coast, are converted into lush paradise. In recent years, the phenomenon of monsoon tourism has become more popular, and, in addition to off-peak discounts, privacy, and the opportunity to watch the spectacular change of nature, travellers get into the rains.

The Emotional and Spiritual Side

Rainfall is not merely physical phenomenon but it is very emotional experience of many Indians. To the farmers, the initial rains symbolize new life. It is the time when children want to play in puddles. To lovers and poets then, it is a time of retrospection and seclusion. Temple festivals such as Teej and Oman are available in temples and spiritual activities that celebrates fertility and renewal and the advantages of rainfall. The monsoon exposes the solitary self to the greater tides of nature, which gives one a reminder that we are self-sufficient on the ground as the power of succession.

Conclusion: A Season of Life and Paradox

The season of Paradox of abundance and destruction, joy and edginess, lust and perseverance is Indian monsoon. Such has been the most important and god like aspect the rainy season is when it is felt that India as a country is walking in the future trying to come to terms with the concepts of growth and good environment. Not just to the India, monsoon is also considered to be the lifeline of the soil.