🌧 September is dry. India's farms know it.

🎵 Let's buzz up your Tuesday with this one 🤩

Good morning.

A school in Kerala trained its entire staff in CPR and emergency response last week. Not one teacher, not a workshop for five. The whole school.

Meanwhile, September rains are not arriving the way India's farms need them to, Amazon is hiring 1.6 lakh people for the festive season, and 16 IPOs are hitting the market in a single week. Shall we?

On Teacher's Day, every single staff member at Vadi Husna Public School in Kerala was trained and certified as a First Responder. CPR, choking management, Basic Life Support, emergency triage. Not a token seminar. Hands-on, practical, assessed training. 

In a cardiac emergency, the first few minutes decide everything. This school decided that when those minutes come, its staff will not be standing there helpless.

It is now the first school in Kerala where the entire team is certified to respond. More schools should be copying this.

What happened? August ended with a 16% rainfall deficit. IMD has now forecast that September, the monsoon's final critical month, will also remain below normal.

Why does September matter? It is the last window for late-season sowing and the month when reservoirs need to be at their fullest before winter. 

Paddy, pulses, and oilseed crops that were sown late because of weak July and August rains depend on September to survive. Read More →

The bigger picture: El Nino conditions have suppressed rainfall across the season. Nearly half of India's El Nino-vulnerable districts already face deficient rainfall. 

If September stays dry, expect delayed harvests, lower yields, and upward pressure on food prices heading into the festival season.

Why it matters: If September stays dry, you will see it in two places before anywhere else: the farmer's field and your grocery bill. The monsoon still has a few weeks. But every dry day now makes the next harvest harder.

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A small story about trust, kindness, and change. The kind you finish in ten minutes and think about for much longer. Read the story →

🚀 Space: Indian space startup Pixxel raised a record $100 million round, backed by Google. India's private space story keeps getting bigger.

🇮🇳 🇨🇳 North East: India and China held their first Corps Commander-level talks in Arunachal Pradesh. A significant diplomatic step in a sensitive border region.

📈 Markets: 16 IPOs are hitting Dalal Street in a single week, with 9 listings also scheduled. If you invest, your watchlist is about to get crowded.

🎓 Education: A Supreme Court ruling has put India's teacher-training system under the spotlight, raising questions about quality and regulation.

🛒 Jobs: Amazon is creating 1.6 lakh seasonal jobs and Meesho expects over 10 lakh opportunities ahead of the festive season. If you are looking, now is the window.

✈️ Travel: Thailand has cut visa-free stay for Indians from 60 days to 30. If you were planning a long trip, check the new rules.

🍔 Health: Experts warn that FSSAI's front-of-pack label plan may fall short on its public health promise. The labels are coming, but the question is whether they will go far enough.