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MAY 29-JUNE 04, 2016
The expected calendar of the
onset of the southwest monsoon,
this year, according to private
weather forecaster Skymet
May 29
June 1
June 7
June 10
June 12
June 17
Monsoon Ragas
Farm Factor
It never rains but it pours
You might want to avoid these places during
the monsoon — or go there to soak in the rain
Hindustani classical music’s
The monsoon is absolutely critical for
India’s farm sector, and the economy
malhar ragas are inspired by the
dark clouds and torrential downpour
of the monsoon. Different malhar
ragas are associated with various
stages of the monsoon such as
Mian ki Malhar with continuous
rainfall and Surdasi Malhar for
the end of the season. Legend has it
that Tansen, one of the Navratnas,
or nine gems, of Mughal king Akbar’s
court, could make it rain when he
sang the Megh Malhar, a monsoon
raga of Hindustani music, just as he
could light lamps with his rendition of
the Deepak raga. His close friend and
musician poet-saint Surdas is credited
with creating Sur Malhar, another
monsoon raga, while his father,
Ramdas, composed the Ramdasi
Malhar. Even if you haven’t heard
the originals, you would have heard
Bollywood hits inspired by these
raagas, such as Ghanan ghanan from
the Aamir Khan-starrer Lagaan
MAWSYNRAM IN MEGHALAYA
Thiruvananthapuram,
Kerala
is the wettest place, not
just in India but on earth,
receiving 11,872 mm of
rainfall a year
The word monsoon is believed to be derived
from the Arabic word "mausim", meaning
season. The southwest monsoon, which
covers a period of four months from June to
September, is when India gets over 70% of its
rainfall. It’s welcomed not just as a respite
from the scorching summer but also because
much of India’s economy depends on a good
monsoon. ET Magazine gives you this year’s
monsoon calendar, the path it usually takes
and a glimpse into the culture it has inspired:
Chennai & Bengaluru
Panjim, Goa
Kolkata
Mumbai
Lucknow
July 1
New Delhi
July 5
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MAY 29-JUNE 04, 2016
CHERRAPUNJI, ALSO IN
MEGHALAYA
is now the second wettest
place with an annual rainfall
of 11,430 mm but still holds
the record for most
rainfall in a month
Rice, or paddy, is sown at the
beginning of the monsoon in June,
mainly in south and east India,
and is heavily dependent on rain
AGUMBE IN KARNATAKA
is referred to as the
Cherrapunji of the south. The
monthly average rainfall for
July in Agumbe is 2,600 mm.
Hulikal, also in Karnataka, is
a close contender, sometimes
surpassing Agumbe
:: Indulekha Aravind
Amritsar
Corn, lentils, oilseeds and
cotton, which are important in
western and central India, are also
dependent on the seasonal rain
July 12
Jaisalmer
The southwest monsoon also
affects winter crops, such as
wheat, grown in irrigated areas
that depend on reservoirs filled by
the rain
1
5
The monsoon retreats to
Tibet in September, when
the temperatures drop and
dissipates again in Madagascar
4
2
The Somali jet stream
(strong winds) helps
the southwest monsoon
gather force
How do we decide on a “normal” monsoon?
According to the calculations of the Indian
Meteorological Department (IMD), a normal
monsoon means rainfall between 96 and 104% of a
50-year average of rainfall which is
The two streams
merge over
central India
3
From Somalia, it travels 2,500 km
to India, where it divides into two
streams gathering moisture over the
Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal
890 mm
Anything below 90% would
mean a drought
IMD’s prediction for this year’s monsoon is
940 mm
Skymet is predicting a monsoon that will be 109%
above the average (IMD says 106%), which would mean
970 mm
Last year saw the first twin monsoon failure
in a decade, with both the southwest monsoon
and Northeast monsoon being deficient
In case the rain outside your window
is not enough, or if you are in Delhi
where you have to experience the
rains vicariously, pick up Chasing
Playing Truant
the Monsoon by Alexander
Frater. In a journey like no other,
When the monsoon failed to live up
to its promise since 1901
Frater, a journalist and travel writer,
tracks the southwest monsoon
across the subcontinent and beyond,
into Thailand and Myanmar. Frater
sometimes stays behind the monsoon,
at times ahead, and observes the
impact of this unique phenomenon on
the land and its people
1918: The year with the
worst rainfall, and a
deficiency of 25%
1972: Was a particularly bad
year as well, with a
shortfall of 24%
2009: Saw the third worst
rainfall, according to IMD,
with 21.8% deficiency
2002: Was another bad
drought year with a rainfall
deficiency of 19.2%
Source: Skymet, IMD, Reuters, Bloomberg
soon
n
o
st M
e
w
h
t
The Glob
al Route of the Sou
The southwest
monsoon originates
off the Madagascar
coast to Somalia
Reading Through
the Rains
A good monsoon?