Indian Subcontinent Monsoon (3/16): Why Earth's Geoid Shape Matters in the Making of the Monsoon

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Indian Subcontinent Monsoon (01/16): What Do We Mean by Monsoon? From Varṣā Ṛtu to India's Climate Engine

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Monsoon - Brief understanding of Concept, Historical roots, Modern Terminology

Process of Seasonal & Climatic Transformation

  • In "Bharatvarsha, that is India," the concept of the monsoon is not a modern discovery but is deeply rooted in ancient civilizational traditions. From ancient times, Indian scholars and sages divided the year into six distinct "seasons (Ṣaḍṛtu)": 

  • Among these six seasons, the third is Varṣā, the rainy season. In common Indian understanding, it is known as "Varṣā Ṛtu," where Ṛtu means season. The term itself reflects the recognition that during a particular period of the year, rainfall becomes the dominant climatic phenomenon over the Indian subcontinent.
  • Thus, from the very roots of Indian civilization, we find a clear acknowledgement of what we today call the monsoon season, albeit through indigenous terminologies and cultural interpretations. 
  • Long before the emergence of modern meteorology, the arrival of seasonal rains was observed, celebrated, and integrated into-
  1. the social (Bay of Bengal Branch known as "Purvaiya" in the social sphere in the Bhojpur region in Bihar), 
  2. agricultural (The KHARIF (Rice cultivation) agriculture season starts), and 
  3. spiritual life of Bharatvarsha (In monsoon, Bholetath (Lord SHIV) offered milk bracuse due to moist air, for human beings it gets difficult to digest, so, in care nit been taken can cause food poisoning).
  • References to rain and the monsoon can also be found in the "Vedic literature." In the Vedas, "Parjanya" is revered as the deity of rain and fertility. 





  • To praise this life-giving force, an entire hymn known as the "Parjanya Sukta" was composed. The hymn-
  1. celebrates the arrival of rain, 
  2. Its role in sustaining vegetation, agriculture, animals, and ultimately human life. 
  • From an ancient civilizational perspective, Parjanya may be considered one of the most important and perhaps the most appropriate Sanskrit terms associated with the monsoon.
  • Along with it, the monsoon also occupies a distinguished place in classical Sanskrit literature. One of the finest poetic descriptions of the rainy season is found in the works of Kalidasa. His celebrated composition, "Meghadūta (The Cloud Messenger)," revolves around a cloud carrying a message across the Indian landscape. Throughout his work, -
  1. Kalidasa beautifully describes clouds, winds, rainfall, mountains, rivers, and 
  2. The emotional and ecological transformations brought about by the monsoon season. This is the reason it remains (Considered) one of the most remarkable literary tributes to the monsoon in world literature.
  • Therefore, we come to an understanding that the monsoon has been an integral part of India's civilizational consciousness for millennia.
  • In the modern era, however, the term "Monsoon" derives from the Arabic word "Mausim" or "Mosim," meaning season. 
  • Through-
  1. maritime trade and 
  2. cultural interactions across the Indian Ocean region, this term evolved into the modern meteorological term "monsoon."

What is Monsoon 😇?

            "Monsoon is that natural climatic mechanism in which, through a systematic process, during a particular time period (June to September) of the year, a "seasonal reversal" of wind direction occurs. Now, when these reverse winds start to blow towards the Indian subcontinent after acquiring large amounts of moisture from the surrounding "Indian Ocean region" through convecting currents, they move inland. Here, these moisture-laden winds get distributed due to orographic landform features that cool and condense, resulting in precipitation in the form of rainfall over vast parts of the Indian subcontinent, known as "monsoon".🤣



Monsoon- As Indian Climate Engine

  • In the Indian context, the most significant phase is the "South-West Monsoon," which arrives during June and continues until September. 

  • Here, "south" denotes the direction towards the "Southern Hemisphere" from where these winds originate and enter in to nothern hemisphere. While the west denotes the western direction when someone is standing on the southern tip of India  landmass
  • These moisture-laden winds originate over the Indian Ocean and bring life-sustaining rainfall across much of the country. 
  • During winter, the wind direction reverses, giving rise to the relatively dry North-East Monsoon, through which parts of southeastern India, particularly Tamil Nadu, receive substantial rainfall during this period.


Note-
The whole mechanism, property and consequences we will study in upcoming blogs 

  • From a scientific perspective, monsoon winds are not merely local breezes but -
  1. a component of a vast atmospheric circulation system 
  2. driven by differences in heating between land and ocean. 
  • The seasonal migration of pressure belts and the changing position of the Sun further contribute to this remarkable reversal of winds, and related consequences, ranging from groundwater  to agriculture to the most important near-future objective of "Viksit Bharat (Develop India) 2047", which is why this mechanism of the monsoon represents the interaction of 
  1. geography, 
  2. astronomy, and 
  3. atmospheric dynamics on a continental scale.
  • Understanding the concept of monsoon is the first step toward understanding the mechanism of monsoon. 
  • In the upcoming articles, we will explore-
  1. how Earth's revolution around the Sun, 
  2. the geoid shape of our planet, 
  3. the Tibetan Plateau,
  4. the surrounding oceans, 
  5. all current implications, such as 
  6. global warming, 
  7. El Niño, 
  8. climate change, and 
  9. new exploration, collectively create and affect the extraordinary phenomenon known as the Indian Monsoon.


Thanks. 

Critical comments are invited.

 



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