NCERT Solutions Exploring Society: India and Beyond Chapter 2 The India Meteorological Department — DON'T MISS OUT
Book page 32 Updated on2026-09-05
Q1.
Can you think of a reason why rain arises from the sun?
Answer
Yes — the Sun is the engine that lifts water into the sky in the first place. Without the Sun's heat there would be no water vapour, no clouds and therefore no rain.
Sun heats the sea, rivers, lakes, wet soil and leaves
→ water evaporates and rises as invisible water vapour
→ higher up the air is colder, so the vapour condenses into tiny droplets
→ millions of droplets together form a cloud
→ the droplets grow heavy and fall as rain
The water cycle: the Sun's heat evaporates water, the vapour condenses high up into cloud, and the cloud returns the water as rain.
Why the motto is exact: The IMD's motto ādityāt jāyate vriṣhti — “From the sun arises rain” — comes from the Manusmṛiti, and the full line continues, “from rain comes food, and from food, living beings originate.” It is a chain: sunlight → evaporation → rain → crops → life. Ancient observers had spotted the water cycle without any instrument at all.
Did you know? The India Meteorological Department was set up in 1875 and is one of the oldest weather services in the world.