By G Mohan

Today the cyclonic storm Thane hit the coastal towns in Tamil Nadu and parts of Andhra Pradesh. The most severe impact of the storm was felt in Puducherry and Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu.

The `Thane’ I know, is a suburb of Mumbai. A city on the western coast of India. To know why a tropical storm on the Eastern coast, was named after a western suburb of Mumbai, I did some Googling. 

Here is what I found. The Wikipedia page on Tropical cyclone naming says ‘Tropical cyclones have been officially named since 1945. They are named for a variety of reasons, which include to facilitate communications between forecasters and the public when forecasts, watches and warnings are issued. Names also reduce confusion about what storm is being described, as more than one can occur in the same region at the same time. Names are drawn in order from predetermined lists and are usually assigned to tropical cyclones with one, three or ten minute sustained windspeeds of more than 65 km/h (40 mph) depending on which area it originates.”

As per IMD, in our region the practice of naming cyclones started only in 2004. There is  a panel on tropical cyclones for North Indian Ocean, consisting of eight member countries, of which India is one. The member countries contribute names and a list is prepared. The Regional Specialised Meterological Centre (RSMC) in New Delhi assigns the names to the tropical cyclones in this region. There is a predetermined sequence in which the name is chosen from the list.

The Indian policy for naming cyclones is “The name should be short and readily understood when broadcast. Further the names must not be culturally sensitive and not convey some unintended and potentially inflammatory meaning.” In fact, this policy caused a delay of nearly four years, from 2000 to 2004, because India could not come up with its list. The current names contributed by India are on predictable lines Agni, Akash, Bijli, Jal, Lehar, Megh, Sagar and Vayu. In order to be culturally sensitive and secular I think India has come up with very boring names. It is so much more exciting to hear Hurricane Katrina hitting Louisiana than the Vayu crossing the Arabian Sea. You wonder if nature is passing wind.

Even our neighbours Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have given some interesting names. Helen, Nisha by Bangladesh. Laila, Nargis and Bulbul by Pakistan.  Priya, Rashmi and Mala by Sri Lanka. For the full list please see the document http://www.imd.gov.in/section/nhac/dynamic/cycname.pdf

It is interesting to know that before the formal method of assigning names, cyclones were named after annoying politicians, mythological creatures, saint names and place names. Imagine reading headlines like Bakasura hitting Bay of Bengal or Hidimbaa crossing the East Coast or Pappu Yadav lashes Puducherry.

Now if you are still wondering why the storm that hit TN today is called Thane. It is a name given by Myanmar. So stop blaming Thane city for your discomfort.