India is set to celebrate a common heritage shared by the Indian subcontinent, as it extends an invitation to Pakistan, Bangladesh, and other neighboring countries for the first seminar on the occasion of 150 years of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Themed on the “Undivided India,” the seminar seeks to erase political barriers, going by history shared between them.
Invitations have been sent to countries that were once part of undivided India, such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. In addition, officials from the Middle East, Central Asia, and Southwest Asia have also been invited.
Pakistan has already confirmed its participation, while a response from Bangladesh is awaited. Should Dhaka accept, the event would symbolize a momentous step toward regional collaboration.
“We wanted representatives of all the nations which had made up the undivided India then, while founding IMD to share this experience on this 150th birthday,” says a top official of the organisation.
Founded on January 15, 1875, the IMD was established in the wake of a devastating cyclone in Calcutta in 1864 and consecutive monsoon failures in 1866 and 1871 that caused widespread famines in Bengal.
Recognizing the urgent need for meteorological data collection and analysis, the British Raj created a centralized organization for weather observations, which has since evolved into one of Asia’s leading weather forecasting agencies.
The department was first located in Calcutta, then shifted to Shimla in 1905, Pune in 1928, and finally New Delhi in 1944. Through the decades, the IMD has produced considerable change in weather forecasting, communication, and technological development.
It was one of the earliest establishments in the world to introduce message-switching computers for global data exchange and early electronic computers for climate research. The IMD also co-launched the INSAT geostationary satellite for real-time weather forecasting and cyclone warning, with ISRO.
To make the celebrations memorable, the Ministry of Finance has cleared a special commemorative coin worth Rs 150. The Ministry of Home Affairs has also agreed to an IMD tableau to be taken out on the Republic Day parade, to commemorate the legacy of the institution in weather sciences.
Other events, including marathons, exhibitions, workshops, and olympiads, are planned to highlight IMD’s journey and its contributions to science and society.
With Pakistan’s confirmation and potential participation from Bangladesh, the seminar is poised to set a precedent for regional camaraderie while celebrating 150 years of IMD’s contributions to weather science and innovation.
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