New Delhi: Pakistan has confirmed attendance following an invitation from India to its neighbouring countries and other nations for an ‘Undivided India’ seminar on January 15 to commemorate 150 years of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
This government initiative is the first of its kind, aimed at putting aside differences and celebrating the shared history of the Indian subcontinent in unity.
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Nepal are the nations from the subcontinent that have been invited besides some countries from the Middle East, central and Southwest Asia as well.
Pakistan confirms visit to IMD event
Pakistan has confirmed its participation, while confirmation from Bangladesh is still awaited, according to the Press Trust of India. If Dhaka confirms, it will mark a historic moment. “We wanted officials from all countries that were part of undivided India at the time of the IMD’s establishment to join the celebrations,” said a senior official from the weather department.
Several ministries of the Government of India have collaborated to make the event remarkable. The Finance Ministry has announced the release of a special limited-edition Rs 150 commemorative coin for the occasion, and the Home Ministry has approved a special tableau for Republic Day to commemorate the weather department’s 150-year milestone.
IMD’s history
The India Meteorological Department was established on January 15, 1875. However, weather observatories had been set up much earlier. The first meteorological observatories were established by the British East India Company. The Calcutta Observatory started in 1785, the Madras Observatory in 1796 and the Bombay Observatory in 1826. Many more were set up in the early 19th century, peppered across the Indian subcontinent.
The IMD came into existence in 1875 after a cyclone ravaged Calcutta in 1864, followed by two deadly monsoon failures in 1866 and 1871 which led to famines across Bengal. This was when it was decided by the administration under the British Raj that record-keeping and data analysis was required. So the collection and analysis of meteorological observations started under one roof – an organisation named India Meteorological Department.
Since its inception in 1875, IMD was headquartered in Calcutta. In 1905 it was moved to Shimla, and then to Pune in 1928, and eventually to New Delhi in 1944, where it has remained since.
Over the years IMD went from humble beginnings to becoming a leading weather forecaster for Asia. Since independence in 1947, IMD has made significant advancements in weather sciences, communication, and scientific innovation.
