Dehradun, Dec. 23 -- It is late December and India's north has not yet received much winter rain, or snowfall in the mountains. This is being attributed by some experts to a 'shift' in the climatic pattern, suggesting thereby that the precipitation has been pushed towards January, mostly February. That period is when traditionally the second round of winter rains used to take place. Also, going by what has been witnessed in recent years, this phase has become more intense and limited to a shorter period of time. As such, a number of catastrophic events have repeatedly occurred.
The impact this is having on agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, and other traditional patterns of commerce is already obvious. As has been the case throug...