With the summer heat showing no signs of abating, locals in Nagpur and Jamshedpur have turned to ancient rituals to appease the rain god.
In Nagpur, locals married off frogs in the hope of getting some rain.
"Nagpur and the entire country are sweltering under the heat. We believe that by marrying two frogs, rains will come. We do this for the benefit of people of the country so that everyone can find some respite from the heat," said Mukesh Gaikwad, a resident.
Monsoons in Delhi and surrounding areas have been delayed, while the blistering heat wave conditions made life difficult for residents.
The Indian Meteorological department said it was difficult to predict the arrival of monsoons in Delhi and adjoining areas due to climatic change.
Also Read
In Jamshedpur, people sacrificed goats in the hope for rain.
"We pray to god for good rain, good fortune and a good output at our farm, that is why we sacrifice (goat)," said a resident, Ramchandra Tutu.
Monsoon rains reached the Kerala coast on Friday.
The Indian Meteorological Department had forecast below-average rainfall in 2014 due to an emerging El Nino in which warm water rises to the surface of the Pacific Ocean.
With the advent of the summer month of June, the lower class of India is generally the worst- affected lot as daily labourers, rickshaw-pullers; welders have to work under the sun to earn their daily bread.
May and June are usually the hottest months of the year in India with temperatures often in the range of 42 to 47 degrees Celsius at many places.
