Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Sound and fury: On the monsoon

Sound and fury: On the monsoon

India needs a societal (सामाजिक) effort to factor in (ध्यान में रखना) IMD forecasts in everyday life

The southwest monsoon stormed (attack, be violent (with very strong wind, heavy rain, and often thunder and lightning)) into Kerala, a week ahead of its scheduled arrival on June 1. This was not a surprise because as early as the first week of May, meteorologists (मौसम विज्ञानी) had tipped off the country about its early arrival over the Andaman Sea — a crucial pit stop (brief stop, pause) before its advent (आगमन) over Kerala. A May onset (शुरुआत) is not an exceptional (असाधारण) occurrence (घटना) — it has happened four times since 2014 — but additional support from a pre-cyclonic (referring to conditions that happen prior to cyclone) circulation in the Arabian Sea gave it a tremendous surge due to (के कारण, की वजह से) which several parts of Maharashtra and the Konkan coast saw the monsoon reach their shores (coastal region, seashore) earlier than anticipated (अनुमानित, अपेक्षित). It was the first time in 35 years that Mumbai, which usually welcomes the monsoon around June 10, saw a May onset. Even prior (पहले का, पूर्ववर्ती) to the onset, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) (भारत मौसम विज्ञान विभाग), as far back as (referring to a point in the past; it means that an event goes as far back in time as some other event, which is used as a reference point) mid-April, had forecast (पूर्वानुमान) an ‘above normal’ monsoon rainfall, or 5% more than the historical average of 87 cm. Following (के बाद, के परिणामस्वरूप) the monsoon’s onset, it has retained this outlook (दृष्टिकोण) of ‘above normal’ rain, and has since increased it to 6% above the average.

One of the quirks (विचित्रता, अनोखी आदत) of how the IMD measures monsoon rainfall is that it only counts rainfall from June 1 to September 30 as ‘monsoon rainfall.’ Thus all the rain that has flooded Kerala, Mumbai and other cities since May 24 (when the monsoon landed) is accounted (consider, count, deem, view as, regard as) as ‘pre-monsoon’ rainfall. In its update, the IMD said that it anticipates June to receive ‘above normal’ rains. This means that the rains so far (until now, up to the present, up to this point) are a mere (just, only) trailer to what is to come. This could be good news for kharif sowing (monsoon crops; seeds sowing in the beginning (Jun) of the monsoon and harvesting at the end of the season (Oct) in the South Asia) and help the country improve its stocks of grain (cereal crops (wheat, rice and etc.)) as well as shore up (support, help, assist someone/something from ; bolster up, buttress, strengthen, fortify, reinforce, underpin something from decline) reserves (stock, reservoir) for exports. The way the monsoon and forecasts are framed (formulate, draw up, plan, work out) in the Indian context (conditions, situation, setting, background, backdrop) is that more rain is seen as a positive, given (considering, taking into account, bearing in mind) its connection to agriculture and that a large part of India is entirely reliant (dependent on someone or something), disconcertingly (unsettlingly, disturbingly, worryingly), on the monsoon for a healthy crop. With accelerating (increasing, rising, escalating) urbanisation, excess rains are not always an unmitigated good (something that is completely/absolutely good or positive). The floods that overwhelm (swamp, deluge, flood, inundate) cities are no longer (not any more) restricted to the major metropolises (a big city/a large & busy city) but also tier-2 and tier-3 towns. While several of these cities are not even equipped (prepare) for ‘normal’ rainfall, administrations (government, regime) — State and central — must seriously incorporate the portent (indication, augury, sign, signal, prediction) from climate change (a long-term change in the Earth’s climate, or of a region on Earth) which translates into citizens navigating (travel, proceed (especially carefully or with difficulty)) erratic (unpredictable, turbulent, changeable, inconstant, inconsistent, volatile, uncertain) rainfall and greater disruptions (disturbance, obstruction) from floods. While improved and high-resolution forecasts are a positive development (progress, progression, advancement, improvement, growth), they have limited value without a wide-ranging (comprehensive, all-inclusive, extensive) societal effort to incorporate its warnings to improve everyday living.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.societal (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - सामाजिक
English Meaning - relating to society.

2.factor in (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - ध्यान में रखना
English Meaning - include, consider, take into consideration, take into account something (as a relevant element).

3.India Meteorological Department (IMD) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - भारत मौसम विज्ञान विभाग
English Meaning - an agency under the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India which is responsible for meteorological observations, weather forecasting and seismology. It has the responsibility for forecasting, naming and distributing warnings for tropical cyclones in the Northern Indian Ocean region, including the Malacca Straits, the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf.

4.forecast (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पूर्वानुमान
English Meaning - prediction, indication, projection, prognosis, speculation, calculation (of future events or trends).

5.meteorologist (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मौसम विज्ञानी
English Meaning - weather forecaster.

6.advent (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आगमन
English Meaning - arrival, appearance, occurrence

7.onset (noun)

Hindi Meaning - शुरुआत
English Meaning - start, beginning, arrival.

8.exceptional (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - असाधारण
English Meaning - unusual, uncommon, abnormal, atypical, unprecedented, unexpected.

9.occurrence (noun)

Hindi Meaning - घटना
English Meaning - appearance, arrival.

10.due to (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - के कारण, की वजह से
English Meaning - because of, owing to, on account of, as a result of.

11.anticipated (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अनुमानित, अपेक्षित
English Meaning - expected, predicted, foreseen, hoped (for).

12.prior (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - पहले का, पूर्ववर्ती
English Meaning - coming before in time; earlier.

13.following (preposition)

Hindi Meaning - के बाद, के परिणामस्वरूप
English Meaning - after, subsequent to, in the wake of, as a result of, ensuing.

14.outlook (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दृष्टिकोण
English Meaning - perspective, viewpoint, opinion; expectation, lookout, prospect.

15.quirk (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विचित्रता, अनोखी आदत
English Meaning - peculiarity, oddity, peculiar habit; unusual characteristic/trait.

16.sound and fury (noun phrase)

English Meaning - used to refer an action or argument that attracts a lot of attention but futile (useless/pointless).

17.storm (verb)

English Meaning - attack, be violent (with very strong wind, heavy rain, and often thunder and lightning).

18.tip off (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - alert, hint, forewarn, warn, inform someone especially secretly/confidentially.

19.pit stop (noun)

English Meaning - brief stop, pause.

20.pre-cyclonic (adjective)

English Meaning - referring to conditions that happen prior to cyclone.

21.circulation (noun)

English Meaning - the swirling motion of winds caused by a low pressure area.

22.surge (noun)

English Meaning - sudden increase, rush/gush, upswing, upsurge.

23.storm surge (noun)

English Meaning - an abnormal rise in sea level caused by a storm, usually a hurricane or other intense storm.

24.storm (noun)

English Meaning - low-pressure weather system; cyclone.

25.shore (noun)

English Meaning - coastal region, seashore.

26.as far back as (phrase)

English Meaning - referring to a point in the past; it means that an event goes as far back in time as some other event, which is used as a reference point.

27.land (verb)

English Meaning - reach, arrive.

28.account (verb)

English Meaning - consider, count, deem, view as, regard as.

29.anticipate (verb)

English Meaning - expect, foresee, forecast, predict.

30.so far (phrase)

English Meaning - until now, up to the present, up to this point.

31.mere (adjective)

English Meaning - just, only.

32.kharif sowing/crops (noun)

English Meaning - monsoon crops; seeds sowing in the beginning (Jun) of the monsoon and harvesting at the end of the season (Oct) in the South Asia.

33.rabi sowing/crops (noun)

English Meaning - winter crops; seeds sowing in the beginning (Nov) of the winter and harvesting at the end of the season (Apr) in the South Asia.

34.sowing (noun)

English Meaning - an act of seeding a plant or crop.

35.grain (noun)

English Meaning - cereal crops (wheat, rice and etc.).

36.shore up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - support, help, assist someone/something from ; bolster up, buttress, strengthen, fortify, reinforce, underpin something from decline.

37.reserves (noun)

English Meaning - stock, reservoir.

38.frame (verb)

English Meaning - formulate, draw up, plan, work out.

39.context (noun)

English Meaning - conditions, situation, setting, background, backdrop.

40.given (preposition)

English Meaning - considering, taking into account, bearing in mind.

41.reliant (adjective)

English Meaning - dependent on someone or something.

42.disconcertingly (adverb)

English Meaning - unsettlingly, disturbingly, worryingly.

43.accelerating (adjective)

English Meaning - increasing, rising, escalating.

44.urbanisation (noun)

English Meaning - a process of creating urban areas. It is a result of population migration from rural areas in addition to natural urban demographic growth.

45.unmitigated (adjective)

English Meaning - absolute, categorical, complete, total, out-and-out, unabated, undiminished, unmoderated. (often describing something bad).

46.unmitigated good (noun)

English Meaning - something that is completely/absolutely good or positive.

47.overwhelm (verb)

English Meaning - swamp, deluge, flood, inundate.

48.no longer (phrase)

English Meaning - not any more.

49.metropolis (noun)

English Meaning - a big city/a large & busy city.

50.tier (noun)

English Meaning - rank, grade, level.