It’s birds, and not the Met, that signal the arrival of the monsoons in the tribal belt of Bastar. While the Met department in the region has some state-of-the-art equipment, tribals in the southern part of part of Chhattisgarh prefer to stick to bird watching. The arrival of the monsoon, according to folklore, is almost certain when the Barabhasi (Alauda gulgula) chicks start flying.
This year, the bird has made its nest in a field in Amdiguda village of the Bakavand development block in Bastar district. Farmers are keeping a close watch to see when the chicks begin to fly off. The bird, by the way, is said to make 12 different types of sounds, and that is why it is called Barabhasi (Bhasi means language).