How seasons shape farming, festivals, food and clothing
In India, crops, festivals, food and clothes all follow the seasons. Kharif comes with the monsoon, rabi with winter, and harvests bring festivals.
Crop seasons
| Season | Sown | Harvested | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kharif | June and July, with the monsoon | September and October, after the monsoon | Rice, cotton, maize, jowar, bajra, groundnut, soybean |
| Rabi | October and November, as winter begins | March and April | Wheat, gram, mustard, barley |
| Zaid | March, at the end of winter | May and June | Watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber, vegetables, fodder |
Festivals through the year
| Season | Festivals | Link to the season |
|---|---|---|
| Cold weather (January) | Makar Sankranti in many states, Lohri in Punjab, Pongal in Tamil Nadu | Celebrate harvests and the turn of the season |
| Late winter (February) | Basant Panchami | People pray for a good harvest |
| Hot weather (March to May) | Holi, Baisakhi | Baisakhi marks the wheat (rabi) harvest in Punjab |
| Rainy season (August or September) | Onam in Kerala | Kerala's harvest festival |
| Post-monsoon (October and November) | Dussehra, Durga Puja, Diwali | Kharif harvest time; celebrated all over India |
Food and clothing
- In winter the days get shorter and people buy woollen clothes. Groundnuts, almonds and other energy-rich foods become important.
- In summer people enjoy juicy fruits such as mangoes and watermelons, ice cream and cool drinks, and wear light cotton clothes.
- In the rainy season umbrellas and raincoats come out, and farmers are busy in the fields.
- Festivals of every faith are celebrated through the year; those linked to farming follow the crop calendar.
Floods, droughts and the economy
- Farming in India depends on the cycle of seasons, especially the monsoon.
- Floods destroy standing crops, homes and roads. Droughts dry up crops and fodder.
- Either way farmers lose income and food output falls.
- Since India's economy leans heavily on farming, floods and droughts are hindrances to economic growth.
Think of mangoes in summer, sarson ka saag in a Punjab winter and new rice at Pongal in Tamil Nadu. The seasons decide what Indian families eat.
2 marks: “Name the months in which kharif and rabi crops are sown.” Kharif: June and July, with the monsoon. Rabi: October and November, at the start of winter.
3 marks: “Why are floods and droughts called hindrances to India's economic growth?” Farming depends on the seasons. Floods destroy crops, homes and roads; droughts dry up crops and fodder. Farmers lose income, food output falls, and an economy that leans on farming slows down.
1 marks: “Which short crop season comes at the end of winter, from March to May?” Zaid.
K-R-Z follows rain, cold and heat: Kharif with the monsoon, Rabi through winter, Zaid in the summer gap.