India has tropical weather. One cannot speak of the climate of India, or else one must speak of several different India's. The subcontinent has eight climatic zones all of which only have the monsoon rains in common. But even the monsoon comes to different parts of the country at different times. And you can fly in the space of a couple of hours through a range of weather from the cold crisp air of the mountains to the burning dry heat of the Rajasthan Desert where summer temperature regularly reach 45°C and beyond.

It is beautiful to see the sand dunes shift and move to the will of the winds, but not at all pleasant to be caught in a sand strom coming off the Thar. In winter Rajasthan is dry and cold and the skies a translucent blue. There is little rain and the monsoon winds often pass Rajasthan by leaving the prickly thorny bushes, acacia trees and other native vegetation to pick up what little dew the night bring with it. Pumps and tube wells lift water for agricultural irrigation but farmers often get only a few distribution of water, particularly in the more arid areas of Jodhpur, Bikaner and Jaisalmer, is systematically organized.

The wheat and sugarcane growing areas of the Punjab, Haryana and parts of western Uttar Pradesh suffer from drastic extremes in climate. It can be very cold from December - January, very dry and hot from the end of March till June, very hot and humid till the monsoons arrive from July through September. The rest of the year is comfortably pleasant. The fields are full of mustard flowers, the air is redolent of sugarcane being crushed and molasses on the boil.

Across the Gangetic plain, the summer months are an interminable heat haze. From Gwalior through Bhopal and Raipur to Patna and Nagpur, temperature begin to rise in March and by May they hover around 45°C. In the fields, the earth actually shows deep cracks. In Bihar, for example, a terrible drought with near famine conditions occurred a few year ago. The fickle winds had taken the clouds several thousands miles westward to the Punjab, and India's granary produced bumper crops that same year!

Government of India, Indian Union, States and Territories In India, Indian government

The Indian Union is a federation compris­ ing 27 States and 6 Union Territories. Each state, and some Union Territories, has its own Legislative Assembly and Govern­ment, headed by a Chief Minister. The Central (federal) government is headed by a Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (Cabinet) responsible to the two houses of Parliament: the Lok Sabha (the Council of the People) which is directly elected by the people on the basis of adult franchise: and the Rajya Sabha (the Council of State), an indirectly elected body which functions somewhat like those of the British House of Lords. The President and Vice-President are elected by an electoral college consisting of Members of Parliament and members of the State Legislatures.

Each state has its own legislature and is responsible for a number of administrative functions such as health, education, forests and surface transport (except railways).

Elections are normally held every five years but can, in certain situations, be called earlier. India has had nine general elections since it became an independent country in 1947.

Money Matters in India, Keeping your money Safe, Money Transaction:

All encashments of travellers cheques and exchange of foreign currency must either be recorded on the currency declaration form or receipts kept, as hotel bills, airline tickets etc.. can be paid for in local currency only against proof of legal conversion. Encash­ ment certificates are also required for recon­ version of Indian currency left unspent on departure. Visitors leaving after a stay of 90 days or more will have to produce proofs of encashment of travellers checks or exchange of currency for income tax exemption and to show that they have been self-supporting.

Indian currency is based on the decimal system, with 100 paise to the rupee. Coins are in denominations of 5, 10. 20. 25 and 50 paise. One and two rupee coins are also in use. Notes are in 1,2, 5,10. 20. 50, 100 and the rarer 500 rupee denominations. Indian rupees may not be brought in nor taken out of the country. Exchange rates fluctuate against other currencies.

Major credit cards are accepted in the larger hotels, restaurants and shops. Al­though travellers checks and cash can get you a better (and illegal) rate of exchange in

small establishments, it is best to deal with banks and licensed money changers. Since encashing travellers checks can be labori­ous, it is advisable to change amounts ade­quate to cover a few days' needs at a time.

BANKING

Outward remittance, which goes through the Reserve Bank of India, is a difficult and lengthy process and at best avoided. How­ever, should you require additional money while you are in India, have it remitted through a draft or mail transfer. Do remem­ber to keep all receipts.