New Delhi, Oct. 3 -- Dear reader,

The four-month-long monsoon season is over. The seasonal rainfall deficit is 13% of the long-period, or 50-year-average. That may not sound alarming, but it will be the widest deficit in more than a decade. The monsoon this year has been truly wayward. Several states like Maharashtra, Assam and Bihar witnessed both devastating floods and droughts at different points in time.

Come to think of it, over 300 have died in different states from excess rains and floods, while over 40% of India's area witnessed deficit rains of 20% or more compared to normal. With an El Niño still gaining strength in the Pacific and moving into uncharted territory, the worst is yet to arrive. Prices of grocery items like r...