Hinglish

The Monsoons

Class 7 Social Science · Chapter 3: Climates of India · NCERT Exploring Society: India and Beyond section 3.3

Learn

The monsoon is central to Indian life: rivers fill, fields are soaked, and crops grow. The word comes from the Arabic mausim, "season". It began as the name for seasonal winds over the Indian Ocean and now usually means the rains they bring. The key idea: land heats and cools faster than the sea, and air flows from high to low pressure.

In summer the Asian landmass heats up, creating strong low pressure. Moist winds are drawn in from the cooler sea and drop heavy rain: the southwest (summer) monsoon. It reaches India's southern tip in early June and covers the country by mid-July. The Western Ghats catch much of it on their western slopes, so the Deccan beyond gets less. In winter the land cools faster, the pattern reverses, and dry winds blow from land to sea, except that those crossing the Bay of Bengal pick up moisture and bring the northeast (winter) monsoon rains to parts of east and south India.

Mawsynram in Meghalaya gets about 11,000 mm of rain a year, the most in the world. Monsoons inspired rāgas like Megh Malhār and Amṛtavarṣiṇī. People also read nature to predict the rains: Konkan fishermen watch for deep-water fish surfacing, and in parts of the south the monsoon is said to come about 50 days after the golden shower tree blooms.

Explore: summer or winter monsoon?

  1. Sort each feature.

Remember

  • Monsoons are seasonal winds caused by land and sea heating differently.
  • The southwest monsoon brings most of India's rain (June–September); the northeast monsoon brings winter rain to the southeast.

Quick check

Why do summer monsoon winds blow towards India?

  1. the hot land has low pressure that draws in sea air
  2. the sea is hotter than land
  3. the Himalayas push them
  4. there is high pressure over land
Answer

the hot land has low pressure that draws in sea air. Air flows from high pressure (sea) to low pressure (land).

Think about it

Why would a farmer care so much about when the monsoon arrives?

One answer

Sowing, irrigation and harvest depend on it; a late or weak monsoon can ruin crops, while a timely one brings a good harvest.

Practice

Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.