Monsoon

A season of torrential rains, whose name
comes from an Arabic word meaning
“season” (mausam). The monsoon is
preceded by a period of intense heat;
daily temperatures go over one hundred
degrees Fahrenheit. As the hot air rises,
it draws in a vast current of moistureladen air from the coastal regions of
southern India. The monsoon is one of
the year’s three major seasons and is a
vital part of people’s daily lives. Because
much of India’s farmland is not irrigated,
the monsoon rains are vital to agriculture. The coming of the monsoon is
much awaited in real life; it also has a
prominent place in Indian culture. One
image of the monsoon comes from love
poetry, in which a woman is anxiously
scanning the sky, watching the clouds
roll up as she awaits her returning
beloved. In earlier times the rains made
travel almost impossible, making it a
bitter time for separated lovers but a
444
Mokshada Ekadashi
sweet and happy time for united couples.
The poet Kalidasa’s epic Meghaduta
describes a man exiled in southern
India, who addresses one of the monsoon clouds, giving it a message to convey to his beloved. The monsoon rains
are also associated with the god
Krishna. His dark skin color is compared to a rain cloud. Also, his birthday
is celebrated at the end of the rainy
season, and his divine persona appropriates the image of the lover associated
with the rains.