Part 2: Thaavaram tharum minpuratchi - Malai vembu matrum kambu napier ottupul - Interview with Dr Kumaravelu Translated and presented by Srirengarajan Ayyaswamy

Drought 2013: trickle down story

In 2012, India’s luck with the monsoons ran out. The end of the south-west and north-east monsoons saw a mere 20 percent of the country recording normal rainfall while 72 per cent reported deficient or scanty rain. These images record farmers facing parched fields while taps in towns have already run dry though summer is still two months away. Compiled by Deeksha Vasanth Rao.

Photofile: The rice is right

Tribesmen of the Wayanad district of Kerala have, for generations, practised a traditional method of preserving indigenous rice seeds, cultivated on fields free from chemical fertilizer and harmful pesticides. Photos: K.K. Mustafa