Mumbai Metro gets its first trial run from Versova to Ghatkopar

Nilam-The nature Puffed up with pride

Cyclonic Storm Nilam (IMD designation: BOB 02, JTWC designation: 02B, also known as Cyclone Nilam) was a tropical cyclone to directly affect South India. Originating from an area of low pressure over the Bay of Bengal on October 28, the system began as a weak depression 550 km (340 mi) northeast of Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. Over the following few days, the depression gradually intensified into a deep depression, and subsequently a Cyclonic Storm by October 30. It made landfall near Mahabalipuram on October 31 as a strong Cyclonic Storm with peak winds of 85 km/h (50 mph). In Chennai's Marina Beach, strong winds pushed piles of sand ashore and seawater reached nearly a 100 m (330 ft) inland.
 

In the early hours of October 27, the India Meteorological Department's Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre in New Delhi started to monitor an area of low pressure, that had developed in south central Bay of Bengal.The next day, the system intensified into a Depression about 550 km (340 mi) to the northeast of Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. The IMD officially designated it with BOB 02 During that day the depression moved towards the west and gradually developed further with deep convection surrounding the system becoming better organized. The Joint Typhoon Warning Centre also noted that deep convection was building over a cloud-covered low level circulation center and issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert. Early the next day, RSMC New Delhi reported that the depression had intensified into a Deep Depression, before later that day the JTWC started to monitor the system as Tropical Cyclone 02B with windspeeds equivalent to a tropical storm. Early on October 30, RSMC New Delhi reported that the system had intensified into a Cyclonic Storm and named it as Nilam while it was located about 100 km (60 mi) to the northeast of Trincomalee in Sri Lanka.

During that day, Nilam moved towards the northwest, while continuing to develop further. Early the next day, the JTWC reported that Nilam had reached its 1-minute peak windspeeds of 100 km/h (60 mph), while RSMC New Delhi reported 3-minute peak sustained windspeeds of 85 km/h (55 mph). Nilam continued to track northwestward under the influence of a low to mid-level subtropical ridge^. Later that day the system made landfall on the Indian Coast near Mahabalipuram, before the JTWC issued its final advisory on Nilam as it started to rapidly weaken into a depression over land. In the early hours of November 1, Nilam weakened into a Deep Depression. As it moved further inland into the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, Nilam further weakened into a Depression. The IMD continued tracking Nilam as a weak depression until November 2, when they issued their last warning on the system.^[20]

Cyclone 'Nilam' is made a landfall by Wednesday evening between Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu and Nellore in Andhra Pradesh, bringing in heavy rains in the region, with tide levels reaching 1.5 meters.

According to media reports, the cyclonic storm in expected to hit the shores between 4-6 pm. 

"The cyclonic storm, which lay about 320 km south-south east of chennai at 0530 hrs today, will move North-North westwards and cross North Tamil Nadu and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh between Cuddalore and Nellore near Chennai by October 31 evening", a weather bulletin by the Met department said.

Storm surge of about one to 1.5 metres over the astronomical tide would occur, inundating low lying areas of Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, it said.

Under the influence of the system, very heavy rainfall and extremely heavy rainfall (of 25 cm or more) is expected in the next 24 hours, it said. 

"Rainfall at most places with isolated heavy to very heavy fall would occur over south coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema and north Interior Tamil Nadu during the next 48 hours", it said.

Squally winds with speeds of 55-65 kmph gusting to 75 kmph would prevail along north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and coastal Andhra Pradesh. The wind speed would gradually increase thereafter to touch 80-90 kmph as the system moves closer to the coast at the time of landfall, it said.

The condition of the sea would be "high" along and off north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coast during the next 36 hours, it said. 

Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea in the next 48 hours. 

An NDTV report said cyclone shelters have been kept ready with essential supplies in Nagapattinam and Cuddalore. In Chennai, 282 schools and 52 community halls have been prepared for providing shelter, the report added. The government has kept generators and sand bags available to be sent to vulnerable areas. Four community kitchens are to be activated by the authorities. 

State authorities have set up control rooms in the coastal districts of SPS Nellore and Prakasam in face of the cyclone threat, the report added.

Danger signals ranging from five to seven have been hoisted at Chennai, Ennore, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam and Puducherry ports. 

: Fishermen along north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh coasts are advised not to venture into the sea during next 48 hrs.

A deep depression over the Bay of Bengal, which would further intensify into a cyclonic storm, on Tuesday brought heavy rains in many parts of Tamil Nadu, especially in coastal areas, prompting the government to declare a holiday for schools.

A crew member of an oil tanker that ran aground off Chennai, died and six others went missing when 22 of the 37-strong crew boarded a lifeboat. 

Sixteen of them were rescued and rushed to a hospital, where one sailor was pronounced dead. Three others are said to be in a serious condition.

The Navy, Coast Guard and other agencies are searching for the remaining six crew members of Pratibha Cauvery.

One person died due to a wall collapse in Vilupuram after heavy rain and another was electrocuted in Tamil Nadu's Thiruvannamalai.

Oil tanker Pratibha Cauvery which ran aground due to Cyclone Nilam, is seen near Elliotts Beach, Besent Nagar, in Chennai. PTI

In Puducherry, a 46-year-old man drowned after he slipped into the rough sea when he, along with his friends, went to the pier to see the sea conditions.

Atindranath Swain, commissioner, revenue and administration, Tamil Nadu, said, "The impact was less than we had feared."

Floods in agricultural fields after Nilam hit Andhra PradeshIn a review conducted by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, the next day, it was depicted that nearly 67,819 people of 21,655 families have been shifted to 86 relief camps across the state. Also, as per the report of Municipality of Andhra Pradesh, 495 km (308 mi) of roads, 406 km (252 mi) of drains, 107 km (66 mi) of water supply lines, 10,882 street lights and 36 municipal buildings were left in ruins, after the storm.^[45] As torrential rainfall damaged railway lines, several trains including Falaknuma Express, East Coast Express, and the Godavari Express were either delayed or cancelled. Severe flooding in the state reportedly killed another 15 people, taking the death toll up to 22.^[46] Despite several hours passed since Nilam made landfall, the convection persisted and caused very heavy rainfall in north coastal Andhra Pradesh. Rains caused flash flooding and inundated five villages in Srikakulam district. To analyze the situation, Chief Minister Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy conducted an arial survey in flood affected areas. Also, heavy rains in Visakhapatnam district lead to a train derailment in Araku Valley, a famous tourist destination near Visakhapatnam.^[47][48][49] in East Godavari district, floodwater reportedly overflew a railway bridge. A temple in the district along with the city of Rajamundry were inundated.^[50] TV9 supplied food and drinking water to the flood victims of the district.^[51] Following severe flooding in West Godavari district, four children were electrocuted on November 6. The death toll rose to 28. Around 500,000 hectares of cropland was ruined while 68,000 people were evacuated and taken to flood relief camps. On November 7, a government survey revealed economic losses of 200 crore (US$36.4 million). Exactly double the figure of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh suffered more economic damage and life loss though it was not directly hit. After another four-day long search and rescue, a total of 44 people were confirmed dead^.

MT Pratibha Cauvery which ran aground near Marina beach was being towed by Malavya towing ship from Mumbai

The Chennai Port sounded a 'Danger 7' alarm and had sent off ships to outer sea to minimize damage when the storm made landfall. Madras Atomic Power Station, Kalpakkam officials stated that vigil was being maintained on all important equipment, and the reactors are made to withstand winds up to 160 km/h (99 mph). The oil tanker MT Pratibha Cauvery ran aground near Chennai after drifting into the storm. One crew member was reported to be killed, with 5 others missing. 16 crew members had reportedly escaped. The state government later declared a holiday for all schools and colleges of coastal districts. Over eight people were killed on the first day itself, as the storm made landfall on Tamil Nadu.

Floodwater totally inundated 51,486 hectares of directly sown farmland and 13,421 hectares of transplanted farmland; and partially submerged 4,404 hectares of directly sown area and 12,189 hectares of transplanted area. During the storm, 3,150 people were evacuated and kept in cyclone shelters at Thalainayar and Keezhaiyur. Among the evacuees, 2,100 people were from Pirinchamoolai, Vandal and Gundooranvellir villages and were taken to community halls. The rest of the people were taken to the Thalainayar Government Higher Secondary School in Thalainayar. Some 54 km (34 mi) of municipality roads and 23 km (14 mi) of town panchayat roads were 

damaged by the rains.^[37] In Chennai, weather returned to normal. Schools and colleges in the city, however, remained closed for November 1 and 2. Residents gathered at the Santhome beach, observing the relief and rescue efforts made to help the victims of the MV Pratibha Cauvery. On November 2, One of the MT Pratibha Cauvery's five missing sailors' body was found in the sea waters near Chennai. Four others continued to be missing even after a second day of search and rescue efforts which included four ships, two helicopters and two Dornier aircraft.

A few hours later, a second body was found at the estuary of Adyar River. Reports revealed that the ship's captain had ignored instructions to leave for safe waters following the cyclone alert. As efforts continued, another body was found afloat at sea. The Tamil Nadu death toll rose to 11, as a result. Though three bodies out of five were found, they were all yet to be identified. M. Jayaraman, a senior disaster management official said that at-least 16 people were killed in rainfall-related events. This figure, along with the deaths of the MV Pratibha Cauvery incident sent the Tamil Nadu death toll up to 19. On November 3, the remaining two bodies from the MV Prathiba Cauvery incident were recovered, sending the death toll up to 21.

During the storm, 150,000 people were shifted to cyclone shelters in Nellore district. Along with Nellore, Chittoor district also saw very heavy rainfall. Severe flooding in Prakasham district blocked a highway and strong winds overturned a major truck. Several villages and towns in southern coastal Andhra Pradesh were flooded and heavy rains were also reported in Visakhapatnam, a major city in north Coastal Andhra. About 140 fishermen who all headed off a week ago, were reported to have been stranded off the Nellore coast. They were later on able to establish contact with their families and the Coast Guard successfully tried to rescue them. 3 were reportedly killed in Andhra Pradesh. On November 1, more than 200 boats ran aground due to strong winds. TV9, a Telugu news channel reported that people in Nellore district continued to suffer from the effects of the storm even after landfall, due to lack of information regarding the cyclone.

As Nilam weakened, heavy rainfall continued affecting south coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema 

and Telangana with heavy rains and flash flooding. The Kandaleru-Poondi part of the Telugu Ganga project near Gudur, reportedly overflowed cutting transportation across the river. Several villages in and around Ongole were inundated by floodwater. Several poor in coastal villagers who depended only on fishing had lost access to food and clean drinking water as fishing was prohibited for over three days. TV9 reported that over 12,000 poor had remained hungry over the past three days and no government official had visited the storm affected villages despite the prolonged shortage of food and lack of electricity. Severe flooding had blocked transportation between Ongole and the villages, stranding the villagers.

Four more people were found dead in Andhra Pradesh, as two people were electrocuted near the New Port railway station in Kakinada. Another old woman was killed by hypothermia while a man was found dead under the debris of a broken wall. The death toll in the state went up to seven^. Rains in Andhra Pradesh inundated 76,980 hectares of cropland, most of which was paddy. As per reports, 449 electric poles were felled and 30 houses were damaged, out of which 16 houses were totally destroyed. In Hyderabad, heavy downpours from the cyclone's rainbands caused a six degree temperature drop. Trees were reportedly uprooted in the city's suburbs of SR Nagar, Shantinagar and Jaya Gardens near Malakpet.

Happy Bengali New Year

Durga Puja on Spring Season

Basanti Puja- as the name suggests- is observed in the season of Spring (Basant is the Hindi name of Spring). This puja is performed in the month of Chaitra in Bengali calendar which corresponds to March-April of English calendar. Basanti Puja is an ageold Bengali festival when Goddess Durga is worshiped by Bengali community in Kolkata as well as other parts of India where Bengali families live in large numbers. However, Basanti Durga Puja has lost its utmost importance since the time when Lord Rama is believed to have done untimely Durga Puja in Autumn – the famous Shardiya Durga Puja, celebrated in the Months of Ashwin or Kartik (September-October) at the same time when Navratri is celebrated in other parts of India.

Origin of Basanti Puja in Bengal

It is believed that King Surath performed the first ever Durga Puja in Spring after getting instructions from Sage Medha. The legend in Markanda Puran states that King Surath had lost his kingdom and wandered in the forests where he met Samadhi Vaishya who also had lost kingdom. In the jungle, they met Medha Muni who on request suggested them to perform Basanti Durga Puja to get back their lost kingdoms. King Surath and Samadhi Vaishya, thus, performed Basanti Puja and got back their kingdoms. This started the ritual of performing Basanti Durga in Basant season or Chaitra Month.

Difference Between Basanti Puja and Shardiya Durga Puja

The difference between the two Durga Pujas- Basanti Puja and Sharadiya Durga Puja- lie in their origin and time of celebration, rituals remain the same. Shardiya Puja is said to have first performed by Lord Rama in Autumn. At that time, Durga Puja was celebrated in Spring after being initiated by King Surath many years back. Lord Rama is believed to have performed ‘Akalbodhan’ (‘Akal’= untimely and ‘Bodhan’= awakening) to seek Goddess Durga’s blessings for defeating Ravana. Since then, due to popularity of lord Rama, his devotees started celebrating Durga Puja in ‘Sharad’ or Autumn season. This relegated Basanti puja to near oblivion. Basanti Puja, however, is still performed in few Bengali households while observing all the ritual of Durga Puja.

Basanti Puja Rituals

The rituals of Basanti Puja are similar to those of Shardiya Durga Puja. The only difference is in the usage of  ’Ghat’ (‘घट’ or ঘট – Kalash- कलश, কলশ or earthern/metal pot) for ‘Bodhan’ (awakening Goddess Durga). The ‘Ghat’ is not used in Sashti puja because this puja is performed on time when it is meant to be done. ‘Akal Bodhan’ or ‘untimely awakening of Durga’ is done on Sashti during Shardiya Durga Puja.

Grand Durga Idols with the idols of Goddessess Saraswati and Lakshmi and idols of Gods Ganesha and Kartik are worshiped on Sashti, Saptami, Ashtami, and Navami. Kumari Puja is also done on Ashtami where little girls are given importance by worshipping them and by offering them a variety of foods, clothes, sweets etc. The Idols are then immersed in water on the day of Dashami. This is called ‘Bisarjan’- a ritual representing farewell to Goddess Durga and her family.

Just like Basanti Puja in East India, Chaitra Navratri is celebrated in North India for nine days beginning on the first day of Chaitra month and culminating on the ninth day- the Ram Navami day!