Gender, Religion and Caste, Class X, Democratic Politics

GENDER AND POLITICS:

A prominent social division in our country is the gender division, generally understood to be natural and unchangeable. It is based on social expectations and stereotypes about women for centuries. They are brought up differently and made to think that the main responsibility of women is housework and bringing up children. The main responsibility of the man is to earn money to provide for the family. There is a division of labour based on gender in most of the families.

Sexual Division of Labour:

The sexual division of labour happens when the work is divided on the basis of the gender of the person. Generally, the household work is done by the women of the family and men go out to work. The work done by the women is not paid for and also does not require any basic skill. The men earn the money for their work and need some basic skills to do the work. Women do go out and work, to fetch water, collect wood and work in the fields. But work done by women is not valued and not considered as essential.

Even though the men and women work for the same number of hours in a day, the work done by men is considered more important. This has resulted in confining the women to her household and has restricted her participation outside the home.

This has led to a monopoly situation in politics where only men rule. But gradually, with increasing education and awareness gender issues have234 been raised in politics. The role of women in changing and has changed a lot from the previous times. They now enjoy more or less equal political rights and have advanced in many fields today and are found in almost all occupations today.

Different Aspects of Life in Which Women Are Discriminated:

Indian society is a patriarchal society. There is a male domination everywhere. Women in our society face discrimination, disadvantage and oppression:

1.       Education: the literacy rate of women is still lower than men. Only 54% of the women are literate against 76% of men. This is because a boy’s education is still preferred over sending a girl to the school. Spending money for a boy’s education is considered more important as they consider the boys to be the future bread winners of the family, rather than girls who shall be married off. In the field of higher education the prop. of girls is significantly lower than the boys.

2.       Proportion of Women in Paid Jobs: women still have a small share in the highly paid jobs and higher posts. On an average a woman works one hour more than a man per day. But women’s works is not recognized as much of it is housework which is unpaid.

3.       Preference of Male Child: Indian parents prefer to have male children over female children. A female child is considered as a burden as the parents will have to earn for her dowry to marry her. While, a boy child is considered as an asset for the family who will earn and increase the family income. This preference has resulted in social crimes such as female foeticide where a girl child is killed even before she is born.

4.       Crime against women: there are various instances of crime against women, they are exploited and harassed at the work place and at home. There are cases of domestic violence against which makes her unsafe even in her family.

All these factors have prevented the women from actively participating in the work outside their homes and have confined her to homes. Any role played by women outside the household work is not respected and recognized.

Women in Politics:

Gender issue with respect to politics: work has been divided on the basis of the gender of the person, all the housework was assigned to women and income earning assigned to men. A women role outside her household has been very limited and very minimal, especially in politics. However the gender issue has been raised in the politics. Women in different parts of the world have fought for equal rights for women. These protests demanded equal educational and career opportunities, extension of voting rights to women and improving the political and legal status of women.

It seems likely that women would have improved their status had they not raised their voice, gender issues in politics. Women oriented movements all around the world drew attention towards unequal rights to women in the political field. These women demanded equal social, political and economic rights for women. The belief of these feminist movements was that unless women have power to make decisions, they can progress in society. It meant having more women as elected as representatives in the political field. To ensure fair share of women in govt. bodies, it is legally binding to have 1/3 of seats in local govt. bodies are reserved for women. Such reservations have helped women in voicing their concerns and interests and demanded equal status and opportunities.

Status of women’s representation in India’s Legislative Bodies:

In India the participation in the political area is very low. The women strength in the Lok Sabha is not even 10%. Their share in the state assemblies is as low as 5%. The share of women in India is behind those of several developing countries of Latin America and Africa. One probable solution to increase the women participation in the political system is to make legal laws for the minimum number of seats to be filled by the women candidates. In the Panchayat and Municipalities, it is legally binding to fill one third of the seats by women candidates, the panchayati raj amendment act. This has resulted in 10Lakh elected women representatives in the local govt. bodies. Women’s Reservation Bill envisaging 33% reservation of seats in the Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies is pending before the parliament.

Feminist: advocating social, political, legal, and economic rights for women equal to those of men. refers to a series of campaigns for reforms on issues such as reproductive rights, domestic violence, maternity leave, equal pay, women's suffrage, sexual harassment and sexual violence. Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights. Feminism is mainly focused on women's issues, but because feminism seeks gender equality, some feminists argue that men's liberation is therefore a necessary part of feminism, and that men are also harmed by sexism and gender roles. Feminists are "person[s] whose beliefs and behavior[s] are based on feminism." Feminist theory exists in a variety of disciplines, emerging from these feminist movements and including general theories and theories about the origins of inequality, and, in some cases, about the social construction of sex and gender. Feminist activists have campaigned for women's rights—such as in contract, property, and voting — while also promoting women's rights to bodily integrity and autonomy and reproductive rights. They have opposed domestic violence, sexual harassment, and sexual assault. In economics, they have advocated for workplace rights, including equal pay and opportunities for careers and to start businesses.

RELIGION AND POLITICS:

Gandhiji’s View on Religion: He did not consider religion as Hinduism, Islam or Christianity. To him every religion was based on some belief supported by rituals. He tried to get rid of rituals as far as possible. To him religion was a human institution that helped people solves practical affairs. He believed that the moral values drawn from all the religions should be used to guide the political system.

Religion Be Positively Used in Politics: Gandhi preached for using the moral values and ethics of all the religions as a guide to the political system. All religions have some belief system and the ethics drawn from it should be used in politics as a guide. Ideas, ideals and values should have a place in political. People should be able to voice their needs and interests as a religious community. Also the leaders should regulate the religion to ensure that it is not used for discrimination and oppression. The use of religion in politics should be dome with careful thought and analysis. No religious demand or interest should be raised if it is against any other religion. Religion should be used to people and not to arouse feelings of distrust and suspicion. What he meant was that politics must be based on ethics and moral values contained in all religions which are essentially the same. These unite rather that create differences.

Religion, the political expression, of which has been dangerous and explosive in India, leading to violence and riots. It led to the partition in 1947 and exodus of millions of people across the border. Expression of religious differences in politics of different countries is very common since it is a very sensitive issue. As principles, ideals and values of various religions are based on humanity, their political expression ought to play a positive role in politics.  Political leaders should see that there is no discrimination and inequality among citizens on the basis of religion. The state and the govt. should treat all religions equally without favour or partiality.

·         Human rights groups in our country have demanded that special measures be taken to protect religious minorities, like, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, & Parsis. Their contention is that these minority communities are victims of communal riots. Their opinion has substantial truth but there are exceptions too.

·         Some political parties and women’s movement have been demanding uniform civil code for all communities and are demanding a change in family laws of all religions because they discriminate against women and favour men.

Communalism: What is Communalism?

·         When religion is expressed in politics in exclusive and partisan terms.

·         When one religion and its followers are pitted against another.

·         When beliefs and practices of one religion are considered superior.

·         When the demands of one religion are formed in opposition to another.

·         When the state favours domination of one religion above all others.

What is NOT communalism?

·         Adherence to a religion or its system.

·         Indulgence in ritualism, superstition, obscurantism, magic charm and occult practices, astrology is NOT communalism.

·         Practice and propagation of a religion, religious gatherings, seminars meetings etc. is NOT communalism.

·         Running a religious education institution or organization is NOT communalism.

What is the ideological basis of communalism?

·         Religion is the principal basis of social community

·         Fundamental interest, socio-economic interest, and political interest of a religious community are the same.

·         People who belong to different religions cannot belong to the same social community.

·         Insignificant and superficial commonalities among followers of different religions.

·         Interests of most Religious communities are different and mutually conflicting.

·         People belonging to different religions must live together as equal citizens. They must not try to dominate the other. They should not desire to form a separate nation.

·         This was the extreme form of communalism practiced under the aegis of of the Muslim League which led to the Partition of India. The Muslims felt that the Hindus would dominate them and therefore two separate nations were created- India and Pakistan.

·         But people of same religion do not form one social community. There are rich & poor; educated & illiterate; among one religion. Also people have different interests, aspirations, identities, status, profession, occupation of people are dissimilar among the same religious group. They have varying opinions and ideological inclination, some are orthodox or liberal or moderate.

Communal Politics:

·         The use of religion where one religion is shown as superior to the other religion is called communal politics. One religious group is against the other religious group and demands of one religious group are against the demand of the other religious group.

·         It is based on the idea that religion is the only basis of forming a community. It believes that followers of one religion belong to the same community. Their interests, ideas are opinions are same or should be same.

·         It also believes that people of different religions cannot be part of the same community. Their ideas, interest and opinions cannot be same, their ideas and demands are bound to be different.

·         In an extreme case of communalism, it follows that people from different religions are not equal citizens and cannot live together as one nation.

The Idea of Communal Politics Fundamentally Flawed:

·         The idea of communal politics is fundamentally flawed as it is not necessary that people of the same religion have identical interests and demands.

·         There is a possibility that people of the same religion have different interests, opinions and ideas.

·         The demand and interests of the people depend on the roles they play in society. Their interests are based upon the position and the status they enjoy in the society and not based on the religion that they follow.

Forms of Communal Politics/ Political Expression of Communalism:

1.              Political expression of communalism in everyday beliefs; involving religious prejudices against certain religious communities, stereotypes, belief in superiority of one’s own religion. The most common form of communalism is in everyday religious ideas of people. Beliefs and ideas of one religion are shown superior to the beliefs and ideas of another and are given more importance. The demands of a religious group are against the demands of the other religious group.

2.             Political dominance of majority religious groups over the minority, called majoritarianism. Maximum representation in Politics, they want elected representatives in the political system belonging to their religion. This often results in domination of those belonging to the majority community. People of the minority community then demand a separate state for themselves. E.g. Sri Lanka- dominance of Buddhism over Muslims and Christians. Minority communities have a strong desire to form a separate nation or an autonomous group.

3.             Political mobilization of masses on religious/communal lines- political leaders exploit religious sacred symbols, instigate local religious leaders, emotional appeal, fear to polarize people of one religion for political gains. This mostly happens during elections. Political leaders appeal to people of different religions to gain votes. It attempts to bring together all the people of one religion together. The political leaders pay special attention to the demands of one religion at the cost of the other religions.

4.             The Most Ugly Form Communal Riots, Massacres and Violence: the people from various religions are in opposition to each other and they use violence to show the domination of their religion. People demand a separate state for people of separate religions and it leads to division of the country on communal lines.  In post –independence period there have been worst communal riots at the instigation of political parties.

When does the communalism problem become acute?

Communalism means promoting ideas of a particular religion. It believes that people belonging to one religion belong to one community. It becomes a problem when religion is seen as the only identifying factor. It creates an acute problem when:

1.       It is used in politics as an exclusive factor where people belonging to different religions are treated differently.

2.       Demands of one religion are against the demands of another religion and there is feeling of distrust among the people of different religions.

3.       Beliefs and ideas of one religion are shown superior to the beliefs and ideas of another.

4.       Various religious groups are in opposition to each other and the winning or defeat of a particular group is associated with respective religion’s winning or defeat.

5.       State power is used to show the domination of one religion as against the other religion.

Secularism:

India is a secular country; there is no discrimination on the basis of religion. In the eyes of the government all religions are equal and same, they enjoy equal privileges. The makers of the Indian constitution firmly believed that a multi-religious country like India had to be secular state. Secular means being neutral to various beliefs and no special provision is there for any religion. Secularism gives people the freedom to practice and follow any religion of their choice and treats every religion equally.

Communalism is the most dangerous challenge to democracy and Nehru was much aware of this. In 1951, he stated that “Communalism will break up India”, he knew it posed the main threat to India’s integrity. In 1948, Vallabhai Patel declared in the Jaipur Congress Session that the Congress and the government were determined to make India a secular state. The word secular was not initially used in the constitution; it was added by the 42^nd Amendment Act, 1976, in the Preamble.

The principal of secularism is one of the basic feature s of our constitution. Communalism is a threat to the very existence of India and therefore it has to be combated by all of us. The Constitution and the State alone cannot guarantee a secular society. We need to counter communal prejudices and propaganda in everyday life. During elections, mobilization based on communalism needs to be encountered by the public, by the Election Commission and the courts.

The Constitutional Provisions that Make India a Secular State:

1.       There is no official religion of India. Every religion is given the same importance, even though Hindus constitute almost 80% of the total population. The constitution treats every religion equal.

2.       The constitution gives freedom to people to follow any religion of their choice. People to free to follow, preach, and propagate the ideas of any religion.

3.       The constitution does not allow any discrimination on the basis of religion.

4.       The states have the powers, given by the constitution, to intervene in religious matters if they threaten the peace of the state. They are allowed to intervene to ensure equality among different religious communities.

Religion is not a threat to our country. But its activities have to be checked so that it does not take any violent form. All the religions are equal and are treated equally by the constitution. Any movement on communal/religious lines has to be checked to ensure equality among the religions.

CASTE AND POLITICS:

Political expression of casteism has seen both positive as well as negative outcomes. Casteism is a unique phenomenon to Indian society.

The Caste System/The Caste Hierarchy:

Some form of social inequality and division of labour exist in almost all the countries. Since the existence of the earliest civilizations, ancestral profession and occupation are passed on from generation to generation. Caste system is an extreme form of the hereditary occupational division, which was sanctioned by rituals; members of the same caste formed a separate social community. They practiced the same occupation, dined with the same caste group, married within the same caste group. The most extreme and virulent expression of casteism was discrimination against the so-called ‘outcastes’ or untouchables whose mere touch could pollute a person of upper caste.

In modern India, the caste system has declined to a great extent due to:

1.       Socio religious reformers like R R M Roy, D Saraswati, and Swami Vivekananda opposed the caste system. J Phule, Gandhiji, Ambedkar, R Naicker aggressively worked for a casteless and egalitarian society.

2.       Large scale industrialization and urbanization.

3.       Growth of education and literacy

4.       Occupational mobility whereby members of the same caste opted for various other occupations.

5.       Abolition of zamindari and landlordism, coupled with land reforms destroyed the old socio-economic system in villages which protected and nurtured caste system.

Casteism has not totally disappeared from our system:

1.       In India, mostly people marry within the caste framework; intercaste marriages are not accepted and are still considered a forbidden.

2.       In remote villages where illiteracy has not reached yet, untouchability is practiced even today. That is despite the fact that our constitution abolishes untouchability.

3.       Caste and class are almost synonyms, member of upper caste are generally better off than those of the lower caste. This is because the upper caste has access to modern education. A large number of professionals, government servants and people occupying upper positions and ranks belong to the upper castes and therefore form the upper class.

The Two Social Groups: Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes: They are Indian communities that are accorded special status by the constitution of India. The scheduled caste communities were considered “outcastes” in the Hindu social order. They have been denied the access to various resources and were given only low status work. The scheduled tribes included those communities who were self sufficient and lived in hills and forest. They were not allowed to live with the rest of the society and were also not given equal opportunities of work.

Politics Based On Caste: Casteism is based on the beliefs that people of same caste form a separate social community which has similar social, economic and political interest. These interests are different from those of other castes:

1.       People of the same caste vote en bloc (as a whole) for a candidate of the same or different candidate.

2.       When they do not vote en bloc they prefer a candidate who belongs to their own caste, irrespective of merits or demerits of the candidate.

3.        While selecting a candidate for a constituency, parties keep in mind the caste composition of the electorate, and whether the candidate would be able to get the support of the majority caste.

4.       The office bearers of a party are appointed on the basis of caste to please or not to displease a caste group in the party and the constituency.

5.       If the candidate happens to belong to the caste in majority in the constituency, it is presumed that he would be elected. If he is elected he is presumed to have been supported by the caste in majority. If he is not elected it is presumed that the majority caste did not support him. Or the voters of all other castes united to defeat him.

6.       Political parties take care to give fair representations to various castes and tribes in the council of ministers.

7.       Parties and candidates appeal to the caste sentiments of voters.

8.       Political parties are known to favour certain castes; on the other hand, particular castes favour particular political parties.

Adoption of Universal Adult Franchise and single transferable vote compelled political parties to go to people to mobilize and secure votes. Castes which were neglected until then became much sought after.

Caste alone cannot determine election results in India: Caste is one of the most important factors, sometimes it is rendered totally insignificant. Issues like development and candidate’s past performance, merits and demerits become key factors:

1.       No state legislature in the country has a majority of any caste group. Every caste group has its presence in the parliament. It means that no caste group can be ignored and every citizen’s vote is necessary to win elections.

2.       It is impossible to secure votes of all the voters of a caste in a constituency, there are a host of other factors that count. If a large population of voters from a particular caste votes for a candidate, we call it the vote bank of a particular party.

3.       It generally that many political parties put up candidates from the same predominant caste in a constituency. Therefore, naturally, all members of the predominant caste cannot vote for the same candidate. There is more than one candidate from the caste making up sizeable members of voters’ list whereas many voters have no candidates from their class.

4.       The ruling party and serving PMs and MLAs frequently lose elections. If all castes and communities repeatedly voted for the same political party, same parties and candidates would have kept on winning elections.

Caste and Electoral Politics: Caste is only one of the important factors in electoral politics.

1.       Voters’ attachment to political parties is stronger than their attachment to particular candidate belonging to their caste or religion.

2.       Depending on their economic background or economic benefit or loss, voters from the same caste or community vote differently.

3.       Rich and poor farmers and those in government service and businessmen or men & women from the same caste are quite likely to vote for different candidates.

4.       Decisive factors are performance of the govt./party/candidate; popularity and personality of the political leaders.

Influence of Politics on Caste: There is a two way relationship between caste and politics. Politics influences the caste system and vice versa. There is politicization of the castes that are dragged into the political arena:

1.       Each caste group has a tendency to grow bigger by including in its fold most immediate castes or sub-castes.

2.       Many caste groups form some sort of coalition with other caste groups at some point on some issue.

3.       New kind of caste groups have come up, after the Mandal Commission report. All upper castes are referred to as “Forward Castes” and others as “Backward Castes”

Political Leaders Treat Castes as “vote banks”: It is difficult to agree with this as:  

1.       Other parties would put up a candidate from the same caste.

2.       All voters may not belong to the same caste.

3.       If “vote bank” helped in winning then the same party would win every time.

Political expression of caste division has led to positive and negative outcomes:

Positive:

1.       Caste politics has led to reservation of seats in government jobs for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and OBCs.

2.       These caste groups have more presence in the three organs of the government.

3.       Several lower castes are now demanding more shares in land, resources and other opportunities as well.

Negative:

1.       Caste division has also resulted in conflict and violence.

2.       It might lead to division of the political party on the basis of caste where one political party represents one caste exclusively

3.       Politics based on caste is not healthy for the democracy, important issues like poverty, illiteracy; unemployment and corruption are generally over shadowed by politics based on casteism.

Climate, Class IX, Geography

(i) What are the controls affecting the climate of India?

(ii) Why does India have a monsoon type of climate?

(iii) Which part of India does experience the highest diurnal range of temperature and why?

(iv) Which winds account for rainfall along the Malabar Coast? 

 (v) What are Jet streams and how do they affect the climate of India?  

(vi) Define monsoons. What do you understand by “break” in monsoon?

(vii) Why is the monsoon considered a unifying bond? 

Ans 2(i):

Various factors, both lying within and outside India influence the climate of India. The chief among them are the following -

(1) Latitude: The Tropic of Cancer passes through the middle of the country from the Rann of Kutchh in the west to Mizoram in the east. The areas lying in the south of the Tropic of Cancer belong to the tropical area while the remaining areas lying in the north of Tropic of Cancer belong to the sub-tropical area. Therefore, India’s climate has characteristics of tropical as well as sub-tropical areas. 

(2) Altitude: With the increase in altitude the atmosphere becomes less dense and temperature decreases. That is why hills are cooler during summer. India has an average height of 6000 meters in the north while in the south there is a vast coastal area with maximum elevation of about 30 meters. It is because of the differences in altitudes or relief that while it is hot during summer in the Plains of Punjab, Haryana, UP etc., the places in the mountains like Nainital, Darjeeling, and Ooty etc. are cool.

(3) Physiography: Physiography also plays an important role in determining the climate of a place. India has a varied Physiography. The Himalayas in the north act as great barrier to the cold winds from Central Asia. In absence of the Himalayas, India would have been a very cold country. The location of the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal on the three sides of India exert a moderating influence on the climate of India. This ocean, sea etc. being a huge water body acts as a store house of moisture which India needs very badly. Without these water bodies India would have been a very hot country with a climate like that of a dessert like Sahara in Africa.   

(4) Western Cyclonic Disturbances: The western cyclonic disturbances are weather phenomena of the winter months brought in by the westerly flow from the Mediterranean region. They usually influence the weather of the north-western regions of India. In winter, in northern India, Punjab and Haryana get some rain from these western disturbances.

(5) Pressure and Winds: India lies in the region of north-easterly winds. These winds originate from sub-tropical high pressure belt of northern hemisphere. The fury of monsoons as well as long dry spell in India is mainly due to the pressure conditions which develop in the surrounding countries like East Africa, Iran, and Central Asia.

Winds especially Typhoons originating in China Ocean currents along with onshore winds and monsoon winds have a great control on the climate of India. Also the upper air circulation such as Jet Streams play a dominant role in determining the climate of India.          

Ans 2(ii):

The word “Monsoon” is derived from the Arabic word ‘Mausim’ which literally means season. Monsoon refers to the seasonal reversal in the wind direction during a year. The monsoon winds are confined to the tropical area roughly between 20^ON to 20^OS latitudes. But in the Indian subcontinents, because of the Himalayan ranges, they bring the whole subcontinent under the sway of the moist bearing winds for 2 - 5 months roughly between May to October. Almost 90% rainfall in India is due to these monsoon winds. India would have been an arid land or desert if there had been no phenomena of monsoons. It is because of these reasons that the climate of India is described as monsoon type.

Ans 2(iii):

The difference in temperature of a particular place in a single day is called the diurnal change of temperature. The highest diurnal range of temperature has been found in Thar Desert of Rajasthan. At this place the day temperature may rise to 50^OC and may drop down to near freezing point the same night.

The highest diurnal range of temperature has been found at the Thar Desert because there the weather conditions drastically change during the day and during the same night. The great difference between the day and night temperatures result in the highest range of diurnal range of temperature in the Thar Desert.

Ans 2(iv):

South-West monsoons account for the rainfall along the Malabar Coast while North-East monsoons account for the rainfall along the Coromeodal Coast or East Coast.

Ans 2(v):

Jet Streams are fast flowing winds blowing in a narrow zone in the high altitude above 12000 m in troposphere. There are a number of separate jet streams whose speed varies from 110 km/h in summer to about 184 km/h in winter.

In winter the sub-tropical westerly jet streams bring rain to the western part of India, especially Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab. In summer the sub-tropical easterly jet blows over Peninsular India approximately at 14^ON and bring some rain and storm.

Ans 2(vi):

Monsoon - The word “Monsoon” is derived from the Arabic word ‘Mausim’ which literally means season. Monsoon is thus the rain-bearing winds which reverse their direction with the change of ‘mausam’ or season and blow throughout the Indian subcontinent, especially from May to October.

Break Monsoon - The monsoon rain takes place only for a few days continuously at a time. They are inter-spread with rainless intervals. Thus monsoon rains have wet and dry spells. So, this phenomena associated with the rainfall during monsoon is known as ‘break’.      

Ans 2(vii):

India is a vast country with varied topography. On the north the Himalayas protect the sub-continent from the extreme cold winds of Central Asia. This enables northern India to have uniformly higher temperatures as compared to other areas on the same latitudes. Similarly the peninsular plateau, under the influence of sea from three sides, has moderate temperatures. Despite such moderating influences there are great variations in the temperature conditions.

Nevertheless, the unifying influence of the monsoons on the Indian subcontinent is quite perceptible. The Indian landscape, its animal and plant life, the agriculture calendar and the life of the people including their festivities and economic conditions revolve around the monsoon. Year after year, the people of India from North to South and from East to West eagerly await the arrival of the monsoon. These monsoon winds bind the whole country by providing water to set the agricultural activities. Thus, in view of the above the monsoon is considered as a unifying bond for this subcontinent.         

Q.3: Why does the rainfall decrease from the east to the west in Northern India?

Ans: In summer, the monsoons rise both from the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. The monsoons which rise from the Bay of Bengal cause heavy rainfall in the Brahmaputra Valley and the Assam Hills (i.e. in Cherrapunji). Because of the Himalayas they then take a western turn and move up the Ganga Valley but as they proceed westwards they become drier and drier and therefore they cause less and less rain as they move forward. As such Kolkata gets a rainfall of 119 cm, Patna 105 cm, Allahabad 76 cm and Delhi 56 cm.   

Q.4: Give reasons as to why,

            (i)            Seasonal reversal of wind direction takes place over the Indian subcontinent?

          (ii)            The bulk of rainfall in India is concentrated over a few months.

        (iii)            The Tamilnadu coast receives winter rainfall.

        (iv)            The delta region of the eastern coast is frequently struck by cyclones.

          (v)            Parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and the leeward side of the Western Ghats are drought-prone.

Ans 4(i): Monsoons blow from northeast India towards the sea during winter (November to April) but with the beginning of summer they begin to reverse their direction. During winter (October - November) with the apparent movement of sun towards the south, the low pressure trough over then northern plains becomes weaker which causes the monsoon wind to blow from northeast to south during this period.

In summer, areas of low pressure develop in north and northwest parts of India due to which winds from the high pressure area i.e. sea begin to blow towards the land masses. So, a shift in the development of monsoon trough or low pressure trough along with the change of season is the main reason for the reversal of wind direction in Indian subcontinent.    

Answers of Q.4(ii) to 4(v) are given in a separate post. [Check the answers of Sample and Objective Questions, link given below].

Q.5: Describe the regional variations in the climatic conditions of India with help of suitable examples.

Ans: The climate of India is described as that of the monsoon type. But within this general pattern there are found certain regional variations in climatic conditions. This is because of the variations in temperature, precipitation, atmospheric pressure, wind, humidity and altitude from place to place. The following are a few examples which prove the above fact:

Range of Temperature - Temperature has great bearing on the climate, so difference in temperature is bound to create variation in the climate. In India there are places like, Rajasthan and south-west Punjab, where the mercury rises even up to 55^OC. On the other hand, there are places like Dras, near Kargil, where the temperature sometimes, touches as low as -45^OC.

Direction of the Rain-bearing Winds - The direction of the Rain-bearing winds has a great impact on the climate of a place. The summer monsoons arising from the Arabian Sea because of their south-west direction strike the Western Ghats first and cause a heavy rainfall there (about 250 cm). But these winds reach the Eastern Ghats last of all so there is less rainfall in Tamil Nadu and consequently it is much lower as compared to the rainfall on the Malabar Coast of the Western Ghats.      

Form of Precipitation - The form of precipitation whether it is in the form of light rains or heavy snow has also a great-bearing on the climate of an area. In winter north-west of India gets some rains due to the Western Disturbances. As a result, there is little rain in the plains of Punjab and Haryana but there is heavy snowfall in the Western Himalayas especially in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. It is all due to the change in the form of precipitation.    

Amount of Rainfall - Difference in rainfall is bound to create variations in climate. In India, there are places like Mawsynram which receives 1080 cm of rainfall annually. This is perhaps the highest rainfall all over the world. On the other hand, there are places in India, especially in Rajasthan, which gets 20 cm of annual rainfall.

Rainfall Regime or Seasonal Distribution of Rains - In India, there are many parts which get rains only in summer while there are others which dry in that season. On the other hand, there are certain places which get rains in winter alone while there are others which get scanty or no rainfall in winter. For example Tamil Nadu and AP get much of their rainfall in winter season, and in summer they are almost dry. This seasonal distribution of rainfall has a great bearing on climate. In summer both Tamil Nadu and AP experience dry and hot season while the rest of the country especially Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra on the west-coast of India has a pleasant climate.     

Q.6: Discuss the mechanisms of monsoons.

Ans: The word ‘monsoon’ refers to the seasonal reversal in the wind direction during a year. The monsoon winds are confined to the tropical area lying between 20^ON to 20^OS latitudes. The mechanism of monsoons or the phenomena of the seasonal reversal in wind direction is related to the following fact:

1. The differential heating and cooling of land and water.

2. The shift of the position of Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) in summer over the Ganga plain.

3. The presence of high pressure area, east of Madagascar over the Indian Ocean. The intensity and position of this high pressure area affects the Indian monsoon.

4. The Tibetan plateaus gets intensely heated during summer resulting into strong vertical air currents and the information of low pressure over the plateau.

5. The movement of the westerly Jet Stream to the north of the Himalayas and the presence of the tropical easterly Jet Stream over the Indian Peninsula during summer.

The meteorologists have found out a seesaw kind of relationship between the meteorological changes going on over the Pacific and the Indian Ocean. Whenever there is high pressure in the subtropical region of the Pacific Ocean in the northern hemisphere, the pressure in the south of Indian Ocean tends to be low and vice-versa. This is known as the ‘Southern Oscillation’ or SO which causes the shifting of winds across the equator in different directions. Besides the above facts, some other events such as ElNino, ENSO etc. are also connected to the mechanism of monsoons.             

Q.7: Give an account of weather conditions and characteristics of the cold season.

Ans: The cold weather persists from December to February throughout India. January is the coldest month. During this period temperature varies from 10^OC to 15^OC in northern plains and 25^OC in southern parts of the country. There is high pressure in northern plains due to the cold climatic conditions. The cold dry winds blow from the high pressure towards the low pressure equatorial regions. These winds are north-westerly in the Ganga plains and north-easterly over the Bay of Bengal. Only two parts of the country receive rain in this season. First is the north-west part of the country which receives rainfall, caused by the Western Cyclonic Disturbances originating in the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean regions. Second is the coast of Tamil Nadu which gets rainfall in winter because of the north-east winds on Retreating Monsoons which blow over the Bay of Bengal. But in other parts of the country, the weather is pleasant with clear skies and bright sunshine.  

Q.8: Give the characteristics and effects of the monsoon rainfall in India.

Ans: Chief Characteristics and Effects of the Monsoons or Monsoon Rainfall

(a) The monsoons account for 90% of the rainfall received by India. Almost every part of the country except the east coast of Tamil Nadu receives the bulk of rainfall from the summer monsoons.

(b) The rainfall is neither continuous nor regular even in the wettest areas.

(c) Overall rainfall is not the same each year. The monsoons may be strong or weak in a particular year depending on the intensity and frequency of depression in the Bay of Bengal.

(d) The monsoon rains are not evenly distributed.

(e) A low pressure near the Himalayas may result in heavy rains in the hills causing floods in the plains or the plains may face prolonged dry spells.

(f) Sometimes, the monsoons may break too early or too late. There may be too long or too many breaks in the monsoons, which may retreat too early or too late. All these factors upset the agricultural operations making agriculture in India a mere gamble.

Sometimes, the effects of the monsoons or its uneven distribution create a number of problems. Like if there is too much rain it causes floods and havoc all around. On the other hand insufficient rain in a year or over some years results in draught, famine, food-insecurity, starvation and death.    

Extra Question:Q.1: Give reasons as to why,

    (i)      The bulk of rainfall in India is concentrated over a few months. [Textbook Q. No 4 ii]

   (ii)      The Tamilnadu coast receives winter rainfall. [Textbook Q. No 4 iii]

  (iii)     The delta region of the eastern coast is frequently struck by cyclones. [Textbook Q. No 4 iv]

  (iv)      Parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and the leeward side of the Western Ghats are drought-prone. [Textbook Q. No 4 v]

Ans 1(i): The bulk of rainfall in India is concentrated over a few months beginning from June to September. During these four months, the rain bearing winds, popularly known as South-West Monsoons, blow northwards in two branches from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. These winds blow from the oceanic high pressure areas towards the low pressure areas of land and cause a heavy rainfall. The Arabian Sea branch causes heavy rainfall exceeding 300 cm along the coastal areas of Western Ghats. The Bay of Bengal branch causes heavy rainfall in the hills of Assam, Meghalaya. Mawsynram situated in Meghalaya receives the highest rainfall in the world.      

Ans 1(ii): The Tamilnadu coast receives winter rainfall can be best explained by the following reasons -

(A) In summer, when the monsoons are in full fury the Eastern Coast remain almost dry because the south-west monsoons which arise from the Arabian Sea cause much rainfall on the Western Ghats but when they reach the East coast of India they become totally dry. As such, Chennai receives no rain in summer.

(B) During winter there is high pressure on the Indian mainland while there is low pressure over the Indian Ocean as such winds from the mainland begin to blow towards the sea. These winds are called retreating monsoons which blow in the months of October and November from the land to the sea from the north-east direction. When these dry winds cross over the Bay of Bengal, they pick up moisture and when they strike against the Eastern Ghats they cause heavy rain on the east coast of India. Hence, the East Coast of southern India or the Tamil Nadu coast receives more rain in winter than in summer. In other words, we can say that Chennai has more rains only after the fury of the monsoons is over in most parts of the country in the months of October and November.        

Ans 1(iii): The months of October and November are a period of transition from hot rainy season to dry winter conditions. In the second half of October, the mercury begins to fall at a rapid speed, especially in the northern India. The low pressure conditions, which were prevailing in the north India, due to hot season, now set transferred to the Bay of Bengal by November. This shift causes cyclonic depression in Andaman Sea. These tropical cyclones cause heavy and wide spread rains on the eastern coasts of India. So often they become destructive and the thickly populated deltas of Godavari, the Krishna and the Kavery are frequently struck by the cyclones which cause a lot of damage to life and property in these areas.   

Ans 1(iv): Rainfall is low in some parts of Rajasthan, Thar Desert and Gujarat because there is no relief in these areas to check the Arabian Sea branch of Monsoons. The Aravalis lie parallel to the direction of the monsoons as such the monsoons bypass Rajasthan and Gujarat unobstructed and so, without giving any rain. Moreover, during summer season the temperature of these parts in Rajasthan including Thar Deserts is so high that the monsoons while passing over these areas get dry and do not cause any rain.    

There is low rainfall on the leeward side of the Western Ghats and in interior of Deccan Plateau because that area comes in the rain shadow area. The Western Ghats on the western side and the Eastern Ghats on the eastern side do not allow the rain bearing winds to bypass them as such leeward side of the Western Ghats and in interior parts of Deccan Plateau get very low rainfall.  

Q.2: What is an ‘Equable Climate’? Give example.

Ans: The coastal regions, influenced by the cool sea breeze, are known for their equable and moderate climate. The climate of coastal regions is known s Equable Climate.   

Q.3: What is ‘Extreme Climate’? Give examples.

Ans: The climate in which the summer is extremely hot and winter is extremely cold, also known as Continentality. This type of climate is found in the arid regions of Rajasthan and south-west Punjab. Continentality increases with increase in distance of the place from sea.      

Q.4: What is ‘Rain Shadow’?

Ans: Rain Shadow

That side of mountain which does not get much rain is known as the Rain Shadow. The wins after crossing the summits of the mountains descend along the slopes on the other side of the mountains, but in descending they get warmed up and become dry. The other reason is that the moist winds may not cross over the other side of the mountains which are too high as is the case with the Himalayas which render Tibet a dry region.

The dry side of the mountain is called the Leeward side and the rainless area on the leeward is called the Rain Shadow.

That side of the mountain where moisture laden winds strike and bring rain is called the Windward side.     

Q.5: What are the elements of Weather and Climate?

Ans: The elements of weather and climate are the same which are - temperature, precipitation, humidity, atmospheric pressure and wind.

Q.6: Which place in India records the highest rainfall in the world?

Ans: Mawsynram is the rainiest place in India as well as in the world.

Q.7: Which part of India experiences the highest range of temperature in a day?

Ans: thar Desert in Rajasthan.

Q.8: Name the season in which Eastern Coast (Coromondal) receives rainfall.

Ans: Winter season.

Q.9: What are Jet Streams?

Ans: Jet Streams are the fast blowing westerly winds found in a narrow zone at high altitudes above 12000 m in the troposphere. A number of separate jet streams have been identified whose speed varies from 110 km/hr to 184 km/hr.  

Q.10: What are the reasons behind the disasters like flood, cyclones etc. along the coastal regions of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh?

Ans: The cyclonic disturbances affecting the coastal regions of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh occur due to the tropical cyclones during the monsoons as well as in October - November. During monsoons, these disturbances are caused by tropical cyclones which are a part of easterly flow.

During October - November with the apparent movement of sun towards the south, the low pressure trough over the northern plains is shifted towards the Bay of Bengal. This shift is associated with occurrence of cyclonic depressions which originated over the Andaman Sea. These cyclones while crossing the Eastern Coasts cause heavy and widespread rainfall. Sometimes, these tropical cyclones arrive at the coasts of Orissa, AP, West Bengal and Bangladesh and cause great damage to life and property.         

Q.11: Why Chennai has more rains only after the fury of the monsoons is over in most parts of the country?

Ans: Refer to the Answer of Q. No.1 (ii) above.

Q.12: Write short notes on:

(a) Loo

(b) Kaal Baisakhi

(c) Mango Shower

(d) Mahawat

Ans:

(a) Loo :

These are strong, gusty, hot, dry winds blowing during a day over the North and North-Western India. Direct exposure to these winds may even prove to be fatal.   

(b) Kaal Baisakhi :

During the months of April and May the localized thunderstorms associated with violent winds, torrential downpours often accompanied by hail are known as the Kaal Baisakhi. This term is more popular in West Bengal.

(c) Mango Shower :

Towards the close of the summer season, pre-monsoon showers are common especially, in Kerala and Karnataka. They help in the early ripening of mangoes, and are often referred to Mango Showers.

(d) Mahawat :

The total amount of rainfall over the northern plains during winter is locally known as ’Mahawat’. It is important for the cultivation of Rabi crops.