Categories: monsoons

An FAQ on travelling during rainy monsoon months in India

Monsoon is the time that most of us look forward to. It takes away the heat and makes the world look alive and beautiful. People travelling to India, especially foreigners often want to know if it is good to travel in the monsoon season, or how would monsoon force them to shift their travel plans. This FAQ is primarily aimed at helping these people to resolve such questions.

colours of the forest
Colors of the tropical forest, on a wet day

Monsoon, what is it?

Most of India has a limited season in a year when it rains – primarily between June and September. In this season, rain clouds are carried in from the Indian Ocean by a seasonal wind called ‘monsoon’. The wind is in turn dependent on oceanic currents and more scientific stuff etc,.. Wind travels northwards into India from South-West direction and so, it is occasionally called South West monsoons.

What areas does it affect and in what season?

As I said before, it moves upwards from Indian Ocean in North East direction. The ‘normal date’ when it hits the southernmost portion of India every year – coast of Kerala is June 5th. But you need to give or take a week or two from this date. Met department usually gives the exact date. It is not difficult to predict rains if you look at the satellite map. See the map at Met department website and look for the white patches on the map which indicate clouds. It usually rains where-ever you see the clouds, but not necessarily so.

So it hits Kerala on June 5th, reaches coastal Karnataka in a few days, Goa and Mumbai in a week, and moves all the way up to Delhi in 2-3 weeks. In July, it will be raining in most of India. Tamil Nadu is an exception, it is not affected by monsoon and it doesn’t rain much there in this period. Instead, it rains there in last few months of the year when clouds hit this region from North West, travelling southwards. An exception is western hilly region of Tamil Nadu where it pours heavily during monsoons.

fields and hills
It is all lush green when it rains

How bad is the rains? Does it pour heavily or is it mild?

It varies considerably across India. For example, coastal Karnataka gets a lot of rain, but if you travel around 200kms inlands, there isn’t much rain. Such contrast can be seen in most parts of India. The typical regions where it rains heavily are like – Kerala, coastal Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra, Sahyadri mountain ranges, parts of MP, Orissa. Rains in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are unpredictable – you can have floods in some years and drought in some! It generally pours very heavily in entire North East India. All this is a general observation – my knowledge of monsoons is fairly good about South India, but my observations of Northern parts is mostly news based than personal experience.

Keep in mind that there is no exact pattern of rains. Even in places where it rains heavily, you may get to see a few days with no precipitation. There is every kind of possibility – it may rain or drizzle the whole day, it may clear up after quick showers or you may see some dry days.

charmadi
Forest streams and waterfalls come alive in the monsoons

How is it generally when it rains? Good, bad or unbearable? Can I travel?

Actually it is pleasant. The heat of the summer will wear off with the onset of rains and it feels good. That’s the case with the plains. In the early days of monsoon when it is still a bit hot, it is fun to get drenched in the rain. Of course, it will be cold showers and cold wind in higher altitudes. The northern planes – Gangetic planes and around Rajasthan can still be hot and humid.

Down south, especially in Kerala and Karnataka around Sahyadri mountains, the concept of monsoon travelling is catching up. It is lush green and beautiful during the monsoon, and the wetness has it’s own charm. Seasonal waterfalls and streams come alive in the jungles and rivers run full. It is as if earth has sprung to life with the rains coming down. I personally love going driving, hiking or trekking in this season. To get an idea, see about some of my past monsoon photographs and travel experiences in my blog – trek and driving.

But journey from place A to B could be a bit painful when it is raining, especially if you are taking public transport. Waiting for public transport in rainy day, going around in damp, slushy places can be annoying, but manageable.

Is there anything else that I should keep in mind?

Yes. Don’t get drenched too often and you might have to stay in bed for 2-3 days. In places where it rains a lot, carry an umbrella all the time. Cities can be a problem when it rains. Unlike the pleasant countryside, cities can get slushy, drains can get flooded, cause traffic jams etc. It’s an annoyance you will have to live with. And some parts of the country are notorious for flooding, especially the north east. Be careful and be informed if you are going to be in such places.

Any book recommendations?

Yes. Chasing the Monsoon by Alexander Frater is a nice book. He travels along with the monsoon all the way from Kerala to Delhi and then to Cherrapunjee. Cherrapunjee is the place where it rains most in the whole world. He describes every thing – about India’s passion with the monsoons, how it affects people’s lives, the science of monsoon, etc. It is set in the seventies and feels little outdated, but still a worthy read.


Categories: culture, uttarakhand

An Evening at Ganga Aarti, Haridwar

Auli -> Rishikesh -> Corbett National Park -> Varanasi -> Agra

+Previous: Rajaji National Park
+Next: From Rishikesh to Ramnagar(Corbett)
+Go to beginning of the series

After spending a good day at Rajaji National Park, I arrived at Haridwar(also called Hardwar) to witness the Ganga Aarti before I returned to Rishikesh.

My bus left me near the railway station and I took a rickshaw to Har-ki-Pauri ghat. It was like a repetition of events that happened a year ago. Almost the same time last year, I found myself at Hardwar on an evening, unplanned and not knowing what to do. And I was here today because I did not get any bus from Chilla to Rishikesh and had to do a broken journey via Haridwar.

Also see:
* Ganga Aarti in Rishikesh
* Ganga Aarti in Varanasi

Since last year, things had changed a bit on the busy road connecting the railway station to the Ghat. Buildings then looked old enough to shoot a horror movie. Now many of them seemed to be making a vain attempt of resurrection with some fresh paint and patch-work. It was amusing to watch some of these buildings that could well be a hundred year old, recently fitted with a modern air-conditioning unit at the window!

The road became narrower as the rickshaw progressed and was closed for motorized vehicles a kilometer before the ghat. Both sides of this portion of road looked like a devotional super market! They sold every kind of thing that you could use to worship god – many colorful powders, vibhooti, rudraksha, stones of several colors and colorful neck laces, etc.. Almost every other shop sold plastic cans to fill the holy water. Some shops that looked slightly modern, sold devotional audio and video material. The road was busy with a large number of pedestrians and the cycle rickshaws desperately trying to make some way between the ocean of people.

The Ganga Aarti in Hardwar’s Har-ki-Pauri is one of the famous rituals in India. It starts at around 6.30pm after sunset, with large crowds gathered around both the banks of a canal that carries the waters of Ganges. Loud speakers blare songs in praise of Ganga Maiya and Shiva.

Ganga Aarti, Haridwar

The time of Aarti sees a bustle of activity on the ghats. Many babas are seen sitting in corners, hoping to get some donations from the devotees. Men in blue uniform move around with a receipt book, collecting donations that will be used for conducting the Aarti. People keep walking in all direction trying to find a good place to sit or stand. Hawkers sell wick lamps or diyas to float in the Ganges. A friend sms’ed me to float a diya for her and I found myself trying to buy one.

Me, pointing at a diya: Kitne ka hai? – How much?
Hawker: bees rupaia – Twenty

Hearing the price, I walked away from him and heard him shout quickly – Dus rupaia dedo – give me a ten!

A pack of diya comes fully equipped and is self-sufficient! It has a wick lamp surrounded by flowers. There is even a matchbox to light the lamp, so you don’t need to run around looking for one! Two incense sticks also come with it and the whole thing is assembled in a bowl like pack made of stitched leaves. I lighted the diya, floated it down the river like many other pilgrims and continued witnessing the aarti.

Ganga Aarti, Haridwar

It lasted for around 30 minutes. A few people(priests?) standing on the ghat swayed huge lamps backed by the blares of bhajans and instrumental music. Lamps of different sizes light up in the hands of people all along the banks and is a pretty sight to watch in the darkness after sunset. Hardwar’s aarti is an interesting ritual, but it feels too noisy, chaotic and commercialized. I mused of the quite and charming aarti sessions I was attending at Rishikesh for the last few days and could not help comparing it with crowded Hardwar.

It was a long day for me after a trip to Rajaji National Park and then Haridwar. I was pretty tired by the time Aarti was concluded, walked up to the bus stop and quickly headed back to Rishikesh to end my day.


Categories: misc

THE TRAIN TO TIBET

So China is having things its way in Tibet as the train from China to Tibet starts chugging on the tracks from July. No surprises that the tickets for the inaugural journey are already sold out.

Tibet, like it is for many people, has always been a fascination to me. Its people, Buddhism, landscape, the magical and mysterious aura that surrounds the name ‘Tibet’ has always drawn me into it. Desire remains in me to wander around this mystical land. I have been reading about all that China is doing to Tibet – like exploiting its people, modernizing Tibet, driving native Chinese into the highlands and attempting to exterminate Buddhism.

Tibet may or may not need trains, I don’t know. To be fair, we can’t expect Tibet to remain without the benefits and comforts of modern technology. But I sincerely hope that the unique Tibetan culture remains and survives the repressing Chinese. I hope that many pristine regions of Tibet that have so far remained excluded from the perils of modernization remain pristine, even when Tibet wakes up to the comforts of modern living. I hope that sacred and mystical regions of Tibet like the Mansarovar and Mt Kailash remain sacred and mystical. And I wish Tibet finds its freedom and once again be a land governed by its own people, catering the world with its timeless spiritual and traditional knowledge.