A
Alleppy, 114, 117
almanacs, 197–199 
Ambassador (car), 80, 102, 191, 204
Arabian Sea, 21, 23, 90
Ashokamitran, 156
Ayurvedic massage, 65, 67–68 

B
Bailey, Steve, 14–16
Bangalore, 207–208, 209–212 
Beaufort, Francis, 27
Beaumont, Francis, 148
Bombay See Mumbai
boats, 107–110, 112–115, 117–118, 142–143  
Book of Days (Chambers), 147, 148–149 
Boutsikaris, Barbara, 30, 134, 178
Brahmins, 127, 185, 192–193, 195, 197–199 
brain-fever birds, 131
Braving the Elements (Laskin), 46, 136
bricks as sacred, 154–155 
Brookes, Maddy, 178, 202, 217
Brookes, Zoe, 178, 196

C
C-MMACS (Centre for Mathematical Modelling and Computer Simulation), 10–11, 133–134, 208 
Calendar (Duncan), 86–87 
calendars, 26–27, 86–88
California and water, 52, 158–160 
caste, 105, 166, 192–193 
Cauvery River, 194–196 
Chambers, R. L., 147, 148–149  
Chasing the Monsoon (Frater), 9–10, 113, 118, 141
Cherrapunji, 10, 127, 212
clothing, 81, 183
clouds, 13, 25–26, 41, 83–84, 176 
CNN, 43, 66
Cochin, 178, 218
combat weathermen, 46–49 
Cubbon Park, 209–212
cricket, 
   in India, 73, 99, 104, 112, 173–174, 176
   Rajesh as fan, 102–103
   on television, 59, 65, 67, 106
   weather and, 61

D
Daniere, Jyoti, 32
death, 192–193 
Diddee, Neha, 106, 132–133 
donkey weddings, 185–186 
driving in India, 101–104, 121 See also chauffeuring under Rajesh
drought, 10, 51, 62, 186, 216
Duncan, David Ewing, 86–87 

E
East India Company, 23
ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting), 36–37, 39–40 
Elephant Hill, 179 
elephants    
   at causeway, 110
   at Cauvery river, 196–197 
   loss of smell due to rain, 131–132 
   Malayalam, understanding commands in, 194 
   monsoon, compared to, 30
   at Periyar Tiger Reserve, 143
   at temple, 176   
   work gang, as part of, 121

F
Faith See Pandian, Faith
Fletcher, John, 148
flooding
   in Brookes family home, 160–162
   in California, 52, 159
   cyclones, cause of, 205
   in England, 15    
   monsoons, cause of, 10, 23, 62, 68, 71, 124
   in Vermont, 217
food 
   French fries, 203–204 
   at funerals, 192
   hotel buffet, 59
   at Lake Vembanad, 110
   monsoon affecting choices, 54
   payasam, 111–112   
   Tamil cooking, 184
   tea, South Indian, 121
   at weddings, 168–169, 185
Ford, Bert, 61–62 
Franklin, Benjamin, 24, 25
Frater, Alexander
   Ambassador, 80
   Chasing the Monsoon, 9–10, 113, 118, 141
   massage, 65, 67   
   monsoon as festive season, 93, 95
   monsoon as wedding time, 53
   rain-worshippers, 83 
   storm vortices, 78–79   
   Trivandrum observatory, 90, 91   

G
Gangadharan, 108–109, 113 
Gangadharan, V. K., 90–92 
Gandhi, Rajiv, 35–36 
Ganz, Katharina, 126–128 
Girish, 131–132 
Gladwell, Malcolm, 203
Golden Age of Weather, 24–28 
Goswami, Prasant, 133, 208–209 
Gray Berets, 46–49 
Greeks and water, 157–158 

H
Hamblyn, Richard, 24, 25
Hatfield, Charles, 51–53 
health
   Ayurvedic massage, 65, 67–68 
   diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, 31–32, 114–115
   sickness caused by rain, 53, 64
Henry, Joseph, 27–28 
Howard, Luke, 26
Hurricane Katrina, 160, 216

I
IMD (India Meteorological Department) See also forecasting; Kelkar, R.R.; monsoons
   Gangadharan, V. K., 90–92 
   insular nature of, 87–88    
   Mukhopadhyay, B., 35, 38–39, 85, 88, 90   
   reputation, 127, 215–216    
   Trivandrum observatory, 10, 23, 33–34, 90–92 
   website description, 33    
Invention of Clouds, The (Hamblyn), 24, 25

J
Jokumara, 187

K
Kahrl, William, 159
Kallummakal, Abraham, 125–126 
Kashmir, 29–30, 39, 45, 50, 60, 134
Katrina, Hurricane, 160, 216
Kelkar, R.R., See also IMD
   email, response to, 34–35 
   gag order, 92, 216
   monsoon predictions, 60, 62, 91, 94–95, 215, 216
   ornery nature, 133–134 
   retirement,  216
Kelly, Jack, 46
Kerala 
   beef eating, 102, 182   
   Malayam language, 79, 91, 97, 101, 113, 194
   Marari Beach, 104–106, 107, 135 
   monsoon, 41, 60, 91, 128, 132   
   moustaches, typical of region, 120
   payasam as regional dish, 111
   pro-communist leanings, 122
   red rain in, 128–129 
   rice industry, 109–110 
   roads, 82
   Spice Village, 123–124, 135 
   unemployment, 64
   vegetation, 123
   villages, 152
   water harvesting, 124, 127
Kestrel 4000, 48–49 
Khan, Mohiuddin, 50–51 
kolam, 188–189 
Kovalam, 82–86, 97–99, 106, 145
Kumar, Anil, 123–124, 178 
Kumaravel, Pandian, 165, 183–185, 204–205  
Kumily/Periyar/Thekkady, 121, 126, 145–146, 149, 151 

L
language
   astrological, 198–199 
   Malayalam, 79, 91, 97, 101, 113, 194
   rain, words for, 144–145, 157
   Tamil, 182
Laskin, David, 46, 136
livestock, 81, 121–122, 153, 182, 200 
Lost Legends of the West (Williams, Pepper), 52

M
Maduri, 155–156, 172–173, 179, 194 
Malayalam, 79, 91, 97, 101, 113, 194
Malibar and Its Folk (Panikkar), 187
Marari Beach, 104–106, 107, 135 
Mariannan, 189
marriages See weddings
massage, Ayurvedic, 65, 67–68 
Meenakshi, 173–174 , 178, 182
Mehta, Gita, 133–135 
meteorology, 16–17, 27, 36, 45–49, 178 See also IMD
monsoons See also forecasting; IMD; Kelkar, R.R., rain
   Alleppy canal system, 117–118 
   brain-fever birds, 131
   business, bad for, 73, 108
   CMMACS, 10–11, 133–134 , 208 
   coastal different than interior, 141   
   definition, 21
   diet, causing changes in, 53–54    
   distribution, uneven, 152–153 
   donkey weddings, 185–186 
   first rains of, 53, 106
   flooding, 10, 23, 62, 68, 71, 124
   garbage problems during, 207
   heat waves preceding, 29, 37–38, 128, 135   
   in Kerala, 41, 60, 91, 128, 132
   in Kovalam, 83–86, 106, 145 
   Mariannan, praying to, 189
   official proclamation, 33   
   power outages, 117
   preparing for, 94–95, 103, 106, 123–124   
   rural different than urban, 64   
   Scotland, satellite images from, 40–41 
   signs of, 131
   storm vortices, 78–79   
   vegetation, affecting, 120, 125–126, 131
   wedding season, 9, 53, 154
Monsoons (Singh), 22–23 
Montgomery, Sy, 176
mosquitoes
   diseases transmitted by, 31–32, 114–115 
   fear of, 57–58, 114–115 
   netting, 116–118
   repellants, 57–58, 107, 115–116 , 117, 118
motorbikes, 71, 104, 155, 191
Mount Washington Observatory, 14–16 
Mukhopadhyay, B., 35, 38–39, 85, 88, 90
Mumbai
   airports, 57–59, 77
   hotel, 59, 62–65 
   sightseeing, 70–74
   travel warnings, 69–70 
Murali, 70–74, 80
Musharraf, Pervez, 39, 77
Muslims, 72

N
National Geographic
   channel, 65, 78, 133   
   editors, 9–11, 29, 35, 94, 216–217 
   film, 35, 38–39, 85, 88, 133
   travel arrangements, 30–31, 43
National Weather Service 11, 16, 17, 27, 41, 46
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), 49
newspapers   
   Pakistani war, 30, 50, 60
   personals, 54   
   productivity, on low rate of, 78
   toileting, used for, 121
   weather reporting
      American, 24, 51–52, 129, 217
      European, 44–45
      Indian, 50, 60, 91, 119, 141, 207, 215   

O
Omens of Southern India (Thurston), 187
On the Modifications of Clouds (Howard), 26
Otto (auto-rickshaw), 81–82, 103, 146

P
Pakistan and nuclear war, 11, 29–30, 39–40,  50, 77 
Pandian, Faith 
   itinerary, arranging, 63, 68, 69, 93–94, 191, 204
   meeting, 183–185 
   recommended by Andy Tolley, 40   
Pandian, Sathya, 183, 184
Pandian, 165, 183–185, 204–205  
Panikkar, Gopal, 187
Patil, D.J., 16–17
payasam recipe, 111–112 
Pepper, Choral, 53 
Periyar Tiger Reserve, 142–143 
Pillai, Meera, 105
Prathap, Gangan, 79, 208
Prince, Mr., 171–176, 191 

R
Radhakrishnan, 108–111, 112–116, 118
rain See also monsoons
   almanac predictions, 198–199 
   animal sense of smell, 131
   Cherrapunji as rainiest place on earth, 10
   colored, 128–129, 145
   first rains of season, 53, 106
   flooding, causing, 10, 68, 71, 160–162 
   fondness for, 85, 208–209, 217 
   harvesting, 104, 124, 126–127, 143 
   as holy, 178–179, 189
   rainmaking attempts, 51–53, 185–188 
   rain-worshipers, 83 
   sickness, causing, 53, 64
   trees, affecting, 185, 212
   umbrellas, 146–149 
   in Vermont, 217
   video, 212–213 
   virga, 13
   words for, 144–145, 157 
Raja (Rajah)    
   astrologers, consulting, 198–199
   at Cauvery River, 196
   gypsy, and, 200
   kolam, explaining meaning of, 188–189
   at river temple, 191–194   
   at Rock Fort, 190
   at wedding, 165–169
Rajesh
   Ambassador, 80, 191, 204
   bribed, 151–152 
   chauffeuring, 80–82, 101–104, 152–154, 179–182, 202
   cricket, fondness for, 102–103   
   Faith, connecting with, 92–93   
   first meeting, 79
   head shaking, 107
   knowledge, source of, 123, 143, 155, 200   
   modesty, 104–105, 110, 145–146 
   music, taste in, 120   
   as sociable, 121, 149   
   wisdom of, 177   
Reagan, Ronald, 36
religion See also temples
   calendars, 87
   Catholicism in India, 113
   gods and goddesses, 168, 173, 175–176, 178, 182, 193
   mocking, 171–172 
   prayer, 50–51, 122, 177, 186, 187   
   touch, prohibition against, 168
   water, ceremonial use, 167, 173
rivers   
   Cauvery, 191–193, 194–197  
   dry, 128, 155, 171, 172, 190
   as holy, 171–172, 178–179, 194   
   of houseboat tour, 112–114 
   polluted, 159    
   in Trichy, 189
   Vaigai, 155, 172, 178
River Sutra, A (Mehta), 133–135, 141–142 
Romans and water, 158–159 
Romantics, the, 26, 28   
Rule a Wife and Have a Wife (Beaumont, Fletcher), 148
Ruskin, John, 25, 27

S
San Diego, 15, 52–53 , 160, 201
Santosh, 108, 112–113 
Scotland, satellite images from, 40–41 
seaside resorts, British, 195–196 
Sen, Krishna, 174
Shukla, Jagadish, 34–36, 215
Singh, Khushwant, 22–23 
Shibu, 84–86
Sisubalam brothers, 82, 84–86, 107
Smithsonian Institution, 27, 45–46 
snakes, 23, 79, 122, 125
snow, words for, 144
Spell of the Tiger (Montgomery), 176
spice plantations, 124–126 
Spice Village, 123–124, 135, 144 

T
Tamil Nadu  
   architecture, 181
   communications equipment, 204
   donkey weddings, 185–186 
   as dry state, 143, 151–153, 185–186  
   Elephant Hill, 179
   kolam, 188–189 
   language, 182, 198
   Maduri, 155–156, 172–173, 179, 194
   Mariannan, 189–190 
   tamarinds, 184–185 
   temple elephants, 194    
tea plantations, 122 
temples   
   at Cauvery river, 191–193, 194–197
   Delphos, 157
   donkey ceremony, 186
   elephants, 143, 176
   incense burning, 114
   at Madurai, 173
   of Meenakshi, 178
   at Rock Fort, 190
   of Shiva, 174–176, 187
Thekkady See Kumily/Periyar/Thekkady
Tharayil, Alex, 111, 112
Thurston, Edgar, 187–188 
tigers, 142–143 
toileting, 121
Tolley, Andy, 40
tourists and tourism See also Pandian, Faith
   Lake Vembanad and causeways, 107–110, 112–118
   Madurai, Mr. Prince's tour of, 171–175, 176
   monsoon, business down during, 73, 108
   Mumbai sightseeing, 70–74 
   Periyar Tiger Reserve, 142–143
   seaside resorts, British, 195–196  
   Thekkady/Periyar/Kumily, 146  
   Window to the World Travel, 40, 94, 183–184, 204
transportation
   airports, 57–59, 77
   Ambassador (car), 80, 102, 191, 204   
   bicycles, 146
   boats, 107–110, 112–115, 117–118, 142–143
   chauffeuring, 80–82, 101–104, 152–154, 179–182, 202  
   driving in India, 101–104, 121
   motorbikes, 71, 104, 155, 191
   Otto (auto-rickshaw), 81–82, 103, 146
   railways, 23, 68, 71, 205   
roads 
   Ambassador, good car for, 80
   by airports, 59, 70
   border crossing, 151
   chaotic, 70–71, 80–82, 101–104, 172–173, 200
   Cubbon Road, 210–211
   dangerous, 69–70, 121–122 
   flooded, 15, 23, 207
   of Mumbai, 72–73
   roadside people, 68, 70–72, 101
   of Southern India, 119–120
   of Tamil Nadu, 152–153, 179–181
   of Trivandrum, 89–90 
trees
   Ayurvedic, 122
   banana, 193
   coconut palms, 79, 82, 120
   at Cubbon Park, 211–212    
   jackfruit, 120, 126
   protected, 153
   nim, 179, 184–185, 193 
   in spice plantations, 125–126 
   rain affecting, 185, 212
   tamarind, 179, 180, 184–185
tribals, 181, 186
Trichy (Tiruchapalli), 40, 182, 189–190 
Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram) 9–10, 23, 33–34, 79–80, 89–92
turmeric, 174

U
umbrellas, 146–149 
 
V
Vaigai, River, 155, 172, 178
vegetation See also trees
   in Kerala, 123   
   monsoons affecting, 120, 125–126, 131
   Paiute Indians and, 159
   rice paddies, 109–110 
   in plantations, 122, 124–126 
   in Tamil Nadu, 152
   in Vermont, 217
Vembanad, Lake, 108–110 

W
Water (Ashokamitran), 156
Water and Power (Kahrl), 159
weather See also monsoons; National Weather Service; newspapers; rain
   artists and, 25–26 
   combat weathermen, 46–49 
   fear, 17–19, 66–67
   forecasting 
      accuracy, 10, 30, 40, 132   
      almanacs, 197–199 
      animal sensitivity, 135–136    
      first use of term, 46
      as foolish endeavor, 13–16, 162, 216   
      India as pioneer in, 23   
      Indian TV channels not carrying, 66   
      for Olympics, 49
      Shipping, 61   
   Golden Age of, 24–28 
   military meteorology, 45–49 
   politicians and, 27, 35–36   
Weather Channel, 17–18 
weddings 
   of banana trees, 193
   at C-MMACS, 209   
   of donkeys, 185–186    
   in Maduri, 165–169 
   in monsoon season, 9, 53, 154
Western Ghats, 41, 120, 122, 124, 136, 151–152    
White, Gilbert, 24
wildlife See also elephants; livestock 
   animal sensitivity to weather, 131, 135–136 
   brain-fever birds, 131
   donkeys, 185–186
   snakes, 23, 79, 122, 125
   tigers, 142–143 
Williams, Brad, 53
wind 
   colors of, 144   
   monsoons, during, 21–23, 85, 118
   at Mount Washington Observatory, 14–15
   war and, 46, 48–49
   wind scale, 27
Window to the World Travel, 40, 94, 183–184, 204 See also Pandian, Faith   
work ethic, Indian, 68–69