Different Agricultural Seasons in India

 In my 20 years of Social Science teaching, have felt again and again that students generally don’t take Social Science as an interesting subject, one of the main reason (which I feel) is the way this subject is been taught. Now a days, most of the people take teaching as a profession, actually it’s a passion and only passionate people should be appointed as teacher

Normally when you enter into a Social Science class, you will find the teacher with an open book (English medium book), going through the paragraphs and narrating it to students in Hindi language. When the chapter gets finished, teachers gets the answer marked in the book, in senior classes sometimes dictate the answers to the students from a help book/guide and the chapter gets over. Many a times teachers asks the students to read one paragraph each and the chapter gets over and the teacher get the answers of the questions marked in the book. These are the ways Social Science is generally taught in most of the schools

Let me take an example. How to learn and understand the Agriculture seasons in India. 

India has three Agricultural seasons i.e. Kharif, Rabi and Zaid. While teaching my students, I generally start with Zaid season

1. 1.  Academic session in every school starts in the month of April. In March the final exams gets over and the results are announced. Students move to next class and their classes start in the month of April. For a few days, the classes are held for a short period, till the second week of May and then school gets closed for Summer vacations. And then the school reopens either in the last week of June or first week of July. During the summer vacations, students enjoy fruits like watermelon, cucumber etc.

So So, that’s the Zaid season, a short crop season. Crops are sown in the month of April and is harvested in the month of June. Crops like Cocumber, Watermelon, vegetables are grown

2.       2. Schools reopen in the last week of June or first week of July, students move to school many a times wearing raincoat or with umberala. It’s generally hot and humid climate with frequent rains. Half-yearly exams are held in the month of September – October, Dussehra-Diwali vacations starts

That’s the Kharif season – crops are sown in the month of June-July. High temperature and heavy rainfall is required, areas which has less rainfall requires irrigation facilities. Crops are harvest by the month of October-November, farmers get money and Diwali (arrival of Lakshmi or Money) is celebrated throughout the country. Crops grown require high temperature and heavy rainfall like Paddy

3.       3. After Diwali vacations, schools reopen and preparations are on for final exams. Final exams are held in the month of March. Between November, December, January are the months of winter, students in northern part of the country move to school in their woolen wears. Final exams are held in the month of March which is accompanied by Holi festival and that brings an end to the academic session

Now that’s the Rabi season – Sown in the months of October-November and harvested by April, requires cool temperature and light showers. Holi festival somewhere marks the end of the agriculture seasons in India