A heat wave scorches parts of the country, but there is hope for the monsoons are right around the corner. As the first rains graze Kerala, the rest of India looks up expectantly
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In wait: The high tides and rough seas at Fort Kochi beach are the first signs of the monsoons in Kerala
Photo: Thulasi Kakkat
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End of season: An overcast day in the fishing village of Kumbalangi in Kerala’s Ernakulam district
Photo: Thulasi Kakkat
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Sign from above: A gathering storm lends a dramatic backdrop to a statue of the late Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister NT Rama Rao in Visakhapatnam kr deepak
Photo: K_R_DEEPAK
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Race against time: The word ‘monsoon’ is derived from the Arabic mausam
Photo: K_MURALI_KUMAR
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Guessing game: El Nino, a climatic phenomenon in the equatorial Pacific region that is usually a precursor to a weak Indian monsoon, has been observed this year
Photo: K_R_DEEPAK
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Early arrival: Last year, the monsoon reached Kerala on May 29
Photo: BiswaranjanRout
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In a flap: India hasn’t had a good monsoon since 2014