Meera shivered, then suddenly felt sticky and hot. She imagined the climate of the Western Ghats and the northeastern states. Here, it rained almost every day for eight months. The air was heavy with humidity. Giant ferns, orchids, and towering trees formed a green roof that never let sunlight touch the ground. Elephants, hornbills, and lion-tailed macaques lived in this perpetual steam bath.
“This is the breadbasket of India,” Grandfather said. “The soil is rich, the rivers are many, and the rhythm of seasons feeds a billion people.” “And don’t forget the little pockets,” he added. “In parts of Punjab and Himachal, we have a Mediterranean-like climate—mild, wet winters and dry summers. In the rain-shadow areas of the Western Ghats, we have Semi-Arid climate, where scrub forests thrive on just a few inches of rain.” types of climate in india
Meera imagined a place where winter temperatures dropped to minus thirty degrees. Snow covered the mountains for most of the year. Here, the climate was . Only the hardiest shrubs, junipers, and wildflowers survived. The air was thin and dry. People wore thick gonchas (woolen robes) and relied on the short, cool summer to grow barley. Meera shivered, then suddenly felt sticky and hot
“This is the climate most Indians know,” Grandfather said. “It teaches patience. You work hard in the cool winter, you endure the summer, and you celebrate when the rain finally comes.” “Now, go west, to Jaisalmer,” he whispered. The air was heavy with humidity
The old banyan tree stood at the center of the village, its roots spreading like ancient wisdom. It had seen centuries of summers, winters, and the great arrival of the rains. But this year, a young girl named Meera asked her grandfather, “Why is the weather so different when we travel? In the north, we shiver. In the west, we burn. In the east, the land is always wet.”
Meera felt a blast of hot wind. The ground was sand and rock. Trees were almost absent—only dry, thorny bushes and the hardy khejri tree survived. This was the climate. Daytime temperatures soared past 50 degrees. Nights were freezing cold. Rain was a myth, sometimes not falling for two or three years.
“People here build thick mud houses to keep the heat out,” Grandfather said. “They sing songs of water. They know that every drop is a treasure.” “Finally, travel to the plains of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar,” he said.