In Photos: The Beauty of Southwest Monsoon in God’s Own Country

One needs to witness it firsthand to truly understand the beauty of the Kerala monsoon. Feast your eyes.

A worker stands on the newly constructed NH Bypass Road in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

(Photo: Syed Shiyaz Mirza)

The arrival of the Southwest monsoon carries heavy significance in Kerala. For farmers, plantation owners, and those who make their living off the land, it means nourishment for their crop.

For fisherman, whose lives are the sea and whose livelihoods float on its choppy waters, the wild winds and rains of monsoon indicate the onset of inactivity.

Their boats are tied down, their livelihoods retired, and when the heaviest rains lash Kerala, the fishermen of God’s Own Country go into hibernation.

A cold, clinical description of the monsoons is woefully inadequate. With these photos we hoped to capture the beauty of the Southwest monsoon in Kerala.

Fishermen observe the seas in anticipation of the monsoon’s approach.(Photo: Syed Shiyaz Mirza)

A fishing boat with equipment, resting during monsoon on the shore near Kovalam, Kerala.(Photo: Syed Shiyaz Mirza)

As the skies turn darker, people prepare themselves for the rains in a number of ways.

Fruit and vegetable vendors cover up their stalls with large umbrellas to protect from the rains.(Photo: Syed Shiyaz Mirza)

For the people of Kerala, the onset of monsoon is an eagerly awaited time of year.

People play on the Kazhakoottam-Karode Bypass road in Kovalam, Kerala(Photo: Syed Shiyaz Mirza)

A father and son take a walk in the rain in Kovalam, Kerala.(Photo: Syed Shiyaz Mirza)

A lady who collects parking fees near Kovalam beach looks on in the hope for vehicles. Few visit the beach during the monsoon’s heaviest days.(Photo: Syed Shiyaz Mirza)

The weather forecast for Kerala predicts squall winds with speeds reaching 40-50 kilometres per hour, possibly as high as 60 kolimetres per hour.

The Indian Meteorological Department also predicts highly rough sea conditions with fishermen being advised not to venture into the sea.

A worker stands on the newly constructed NH Bypass Road in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala(Photo: Syed Shiyaz Mirza)

An old lady waits for her vehicle in front of Napier museum, Thiruvananthapuram while vendors sell flowers and salted gooseberries in the backdrop.(Photo: Syed Shiyaz Mirza)

A traffic policeman helps people find their way in the pouring rain in Kovalam, Kerala.(Photo: Syed Shiyaz Mirza)

Kerala is home to several monsoon holiday retreats from Kovalam to Munnar. While the rains are a deterrent to tourists to many places across India, Kerala’s monsoons are famously beautiful.

A view of the sky, darkened with clouds, streaked with fading blue, near Thiruvananthapuram International Airport.(Photo: Syed Shiyaz Mirza)

People watch the approaching storm clouds, and the waves turning rough, from the shores of Kovalam beach.(Photo: Syed Shiyaz Mirza)

Every spell of rain cleanses and revitalises God’s Own Country. The foreboding clouds pass, to make way for a moment of beautiful calm, and people stray out once more before the next spell of rain arrives.

An old coffee house building is seen reflected in the water near Shangumukham beach after spell of rain subsides.(Photo: Syed Shiyaz Mirza)

Tourists and residents of Kovalam walk by the beach shortly after the rains take a brief pause.(Photo: Syed Shiyaz Mirza)

The renovation of Padmatheertham pond in progress in front of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple in the capital. The pond turns green with moss after the rain.(Photo: Syed Shiyaz Mirza)

(Syed Shiyaz Mirza is a freelance photojournalist based in Kerala. You can follow him on Facebook here.)