by a Thinker, Sailor, Blogger, Irreverent Guy from Madras

No Google Doodle but a Moodle for Rain God Ramanan


Chennai’s Coolest Weatherman, Dr. S.R. Ramanan, retires today 31 March 2016 after around 36 years of service in the India Meteorological Department (IMD).  So what makes him so special that the absence of a Google Doodle is to be noticed?  Ramanan must be the only weatherman who has the most memes, and fandom in the internet age.

In the 60s and 70s the only weather report available was on the All India Radio (AIR) service.  And everyone relied on it – but took the opposite measures to what was forecast.  If the AIR weather bulletin predicted sunny skies, everyone would grab their umbrellas – for sure, a deluge will follow.  After Dr. Ramanan joined the IMD, whether by coincidence or because of his efforts, the prediction models of IMD have improved.

In the 90s, newspapers started picturising isobars, and wind direction-speed charts.  Soon the TV channels started aping BBC with their own weather visuals.  At the turn of the century the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) was identified as an equally crucial phenomenon as the Pacific El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) which affects the Indian Monsoon.

In 2011 the IMD implemented its own Global Forecast System (GFS), and it appears to be more accurate for the Indian sub-continent.  And all these transitions happened when the coolest rain man of Madras, now Chennai, was there.

What if there is no Google Doodle for Ramanan Retires?  Let us have a Moodle.  This Moodle depicts the transition of the IMD itself, from the Sixties to the (Twenty) Sixteen.  And three cheers to the Chennai’s beloved rain god, who made being a weatherman cool!

ramanan-retires

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