What would you do if there are no rains? Most of us would just wait for the rains to come. But some pockets in India, who are dependent on agriculture for livelihood, will try every means possible to invoke the rain God.
Farmers across India pray to Indra, the god of thunder and lightning, to bless them with timely rain. Delay in rains means financial losses or even death in case of debt burden. So farmers indulge in several rituals to appease the rain God.
One such ritual is the wedding of frogs in Nagpur, Maharashtra. Here villagers married off frogs Raja (L) and Rani (R) in the traditional way to usher in rainfall. The locals belief that when a pair of frogs is 'joined in holy matrimony' the rains will come in a few days.
Ahmedabad, in India's eastern part, believes in Vedic techniques to appease the rain God. Here men sit in massive utensils to perform "Parjanya Yagya", a ritual is believed to bring rainfall.
Barha village, which is 32 km from Allahabad, tries to induce rain through a ritual involving women ploughing the fields.
These people have an intense belief in their rituals. Whether it appeases the rain God or not is controversial. But we salute the faith of these people.
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