In June edition, when I read an article “ Goa’s Monsoon in Peril” by Nandkumar M. Kamat in one of the local magazine, I was stunned that the Editor is dared to publish and place at stake its reputation by suggesting that the monsoon of 2013 would be a Mutation of the regular monsoons we usually see in Goa.
We have a saying: “Uncertain as the English weather” that Goa’s Monsoons too are in peril as forecasted by the UK journalist and travel writer Alexander Frater, who in his book “Chasing the Monsoons” has forewarned Goans that Monsoons in Goa would be diminishing drastically from this season onwards is preposterous idea. Granted that those who believe so are idiots, as ex-Chief Justice Markanday Katju has asserted not too long ago that 90% persons of India are idiots! The former Chief Justice of India is a well respected personality of our country and is known for his forth righteousness and the Goa Today’s story on Monsoon Peril affirms so. By making sweeping assumption with no solid scientific data, how can one predict of the failure of Goa’s Monsoon is a million dollar question. Are Goans idiots too? The substandard articles on Geology and Mineralogy have resulted in down gradation of trust shown by Goans to Goa Today. Please introspect and do not shoot this message and messenger. Comically, by the end of July, Goa had received more than its share of rainfall. If this trend continues through August and Sept, we would receive 20% more rainfall this year. However, there should be no doubt, by the end of the monsoon season Goans would be happy that yet another normal monsoon has gone by. It is often irritating to mix mythology with science and bring out a cocktail of absurd predication on a subject like weather or the monsoons which is a result of purely physical phenomena governed by various motions taking place in our planetary system and the other intricate cosmic events both known and the unknown. Since there is a system in the universe which is fortunately in place, monsoon as a phenomena would be generally constant, which at times could be disturbed leading in sometimes famine and droughts. However, it would come as a cyclic event over a long period of time. The law of averages thus would smoothen or straighten out the amount of rainfall Goa would receive which would average out to 100 inches each season. The reasons why monsoons have had adverse effect in Goa are not due to the crazy celestial events in space but due to the haphazard man made activities, which have resulted in the changing landscape around the Western Ghats. Instead of focusing on Gold and other substances in the earth’s crust, Goa should focus on the “Black Gold” and the rich fertile solid of Goa and improve our agriculture and harness the rainfall by rain water harvesting techniques. We have abused the Monsoons supply of water by our lopsided tourism policies and other industrial pollution. The Mutation is in our Mindset Mr Editor. There is no Mutant Monsoons in Goa. Stephen Dias, D.Paula
