Aarti Kelkar -Khambete

Recent news has been flooded with reports of the severe drought situation in the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions of Maharashtra. Even more shocking are the reports of large-scale suicides by farmers due to crop losses.

Although the government has announced a relief package for drought-affected areas, these sort of quick- fix solutions are not enough to solve the real problems on the ground, argues Suneel Joshi.

Maharashtra is experiencing drought this year too. Why does this happen every year?

Rameshwaram is well-known as one of India's most sacred places and is an important pilgrimage centre. However, what isn't well-known is the history behind the 64 teerthas (holy water bodies) in and around the island. 24 of these are considered to be very important and of these, 14 are in the form of ponds, tanks and wells within the precincts of the temples while 31 are located outside the temples. The teerthas assume great cultural and spiritual significance in the history of the island. They also have immense ecological benefits.

June signals the start of the monsoons in many parts of India. Pune and its surrounding areas in Maharashtra have witnessed heavy showers since the first week of June. The rains let up for a weeks time during which I visited a few places on the outskirts of Pune city.