Every time the monsoon is delayed and there is an apprehension of a drought, our politicians and the administrators think of alternatives to face the situation. First one, of course, is offering prayers to God Almighty and the second one is to go up in an aero-plane and do what is known as cloud seeding.

This year too the rains did play hide - and - seek, where expected monsoon during the beginning of June played truant for too long. It really put a fright in the mind and heart of our Chief Minister more than in anyone's mind. It is but natural, and it has happened with the Chief Ministers who have preceded B. S. Yeddyurappa.

To begin with, the people will brand the Chief Minister as unlucky for the State and thereafter the Opposition, instead of joining hands with the Chief Minister to stave off the drought by taking appropriate measures, will consider the drought as a Godsend opportunity to harass and discredit the government.

We have seen this happen in the recent past when Ramakrishna Hegde was the Chief Minister and many had taken objection to the conduct of World Kannada Meet held in Mysore, after being postponed for the reason of drought. Fortunately for Yeddyurappa the absentee monsoon began to make its appearance in the Cauvery catchment area, Kodagu, from 30th June.

However, the monsoon was too feeble and did not cover Northern parts of the State like Haveri, Dharwad, Kolar and a few other districts. It was under these circumstances the State government decided to go proactive to solve the problem following the alternatives available to it.

While the Minister for Muzrai, V. Somanna, ordered special pujas, praying for rains in over 34,000 temples all over the State as reported in newspapers, the officials got cracking on hiring the agency for cloud seeding wherever clouds were visible. The Muzrai Minister issued orders to perform puja on 3rd of July and so it was. I don't know if the Wakf Minister too had asked for special prayers for the rains in mosques. It is also not known if prayers were held for rains in churches all over the State as was done in the temples.

Whatever it is, the fact is, it really rained in Mysore and Kodagu on the 3rd of July as if the Gods in high heavens heard our prayers and granted it in the form of copious rains. On the very next day, the water level at KRS was up by one foot, within 24 hours, and since then the catchment areas of Cauvery have been receiving good rains, with the water level in the dam steadily going up and touching the maximum level on 22nd July. But the authorities kept the level low, as is the practice, by releasing water. On 24th July Chief Minister Yeddyurappa, along with the district - in - charge Minister Shobha Karandlaje and others offered the traditional bagina. The KRS reservoir was full to its brim reaching its maximum capacity of 124. 80 feet.

The cloud seeding programme was abandoned. Except for a few districts in the State, monsoon has been good and seems to be so during the remainder of this season. Lucky Chief Minister. No wonder he believes in the power of prayer as confessed with me some time back of which I had written in this column.

Well, looking at our politicians, I feel in today's India, especially Karnataka, more than the priests the politicians seem to have a total, absolute and blind faith in the power of prayer. And why not?

And finally, as I was cud - chewing on this subject of God responding to our prayers, a thought crossed my mind. Why the same God did not respond to the prayers during earlier droughts, especially when Ramakrishna Hegde was the Chief Minister? May be because he was a Socialist and a Secularist! But then H. D. Deve Gowda of JD (S) too is a Secularist and yet God seems to oblige him!

I am simply unable to understand the mind of God!!!