Reading 3: Heat and Crops - The Cycle of the Seasons
(This reading is an excerpt from "The Rains of Estrangement," in Contributions to Indian Sociology, Dr. Susan Wadley, 1983, Vol 17, pp.61-63)

The seasons and the months of the Hindu calendar are organizing principles for many aspects of life in the Indian villages. In a group of songs called the songs of the twelve months, each month has a distinct quality and tone, focusing on ritual, social and climatic events. Each of the seasons has a different effect on the lives of the residents.

The two cycles of rainfall and temperature are especially important. Some 90% of the rainfall of northern India occurs between late June and mid-September, with floods still possible into October. A few showers still fall in the winter months (December and January). The temperature cycle is more consistent, moving slowly between extremes of hot and cold, ranging from a daily high of 120 degrees F. or more in May and June, prior to the monsoon, to night time lows of 40 degrees F in December and January.

Given these issues of rainfall and temperature, the north Indian recognizes three seasons of approximately four months each: The hot (garmi); the rainy of wet (barsat or chaumasi) and the cold (sardi or jara). The hot season runs from March through June; the rainy season from July through October; and the cold season from November through February. Three cropping seasons are associated with these: kharif. the season crops of rice and corn, harvested in October and November; rabi, the winter crops of wheat and barley, harvested in March-April; and the hot season crops of melons and cucumbers, harvested in May and June. For the poor, the rains bring a variety of difficulties. The song, the "Twelve Months of the Farmer" laments the troubles of farmers and the monsoon.

At the beginning of the month of July,
Then the rains began to fall heavily,
And the earth gives up kajal,
In their minds the farmers are pleased,
The ropes of the bullock do not stop.
But our year is desolate,
Seeing this my heart is breaking.
Oh, yes indeed, you obtained a piece of land,
And bullocks, buffalo and wealth
Are given to the headman.
The government tax is not yet paid,
And how is your peace my husband?
I do not have any happiness.

... Friend, Bhadon is a stream of water,
The sky has been torn open,
The grindstone and oven are ruined,
Our portion of poverty has come.
The river became flooded,
The crop is destroyed,
The cattle died from hunger.
My sister-in-law's corn is submerged,
My sister-in-law's rice and
My father-in-law's mustard are damaged.
Millets, lentils and corn are ruined.
And how is your peace my husband?
I do not have any happiness.

How does/has the monsoon affect life for people in South Asia?