Volunteering during the monsoon

Minnieme

Hi everyone,

I will be traveling to India from mid-April to early August and would like to do some volunteering work in the months of June-July.
I know it's the time when the monsoon sweeps through mot of the country. Do you think this is prohibitive?
I have been considering volunteering somewhere up north (say Rajasthan), since apparently the rain doesn't get there till July, but would love some more information on the subject. Maybe I'm unduly worried and there's nothing preventing me from helping out anywhere, even under torrential rain
Any advice?

atala

Rain is seldom torrential in India, and if it is, it only comes for short times. You cannot compare it with say Malaysia where the rain really pounds down for an hour or two every day, in some places.

The big disadvantage of the rainy season, besides the sticky atmosphere, the constant sweat feeling on your skin, is that you cannot dry your laundry easily. Everything gets moldy, becomes smelly, after a while. But this also depends on the place you are at. How exactly the rainy season feels in Rajasthan should be addressed by others, for instance Aishah who leave in the region. They can feel lucky in Rajasthan if they ever get enough rain.

A nuisance of the rainy season is that the dirt out on the roads is getting splashed all over you. Hmmm, another problem is that small wounds do not heal well during increased humidity. So take care of small wounds well, carry Betadine and Bandaids around with you wherever you go so that you can attend to small scratches right away when you get them. Otherwise, the rainy season is the happy season for all Indians, everyone is enjoying this period very much.

Aishah

June is a nightmare out our way, which I have frequently posted about, minnieme - hot wind called the 'loo' blowing at 50'c and sandstorms often, for several days on end. So I don't suggest you come this way..For NGO work, Jaipur area might be a good contact but frankly I think you are going to suffer with the heat and find it just too hard to do. July becomes humid even if no rain in vicinity - that plus the heat makes it very tiring and trying.
Rather than Rajasthan - I think somewhere like McLeod Ganj would be better - even though downpours of rain it doesn't go on ad infinitum. Manali I think is also less raining - much more pleasant as far as weather and temperatures go.

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