100 years of weather forecasting in Chennai 

India’s oldest observatory is located amid verdant settings at Nungambakkam

In contrast to the hustle and bustle of Nungambakkam in central Chennai, the office of the Regional Meteorological Centre wears a serene look with a cluster of buildings surrounded by verdant greenery. On this premises functions the World Meteorological Organisation-recognised long-term observing station, which has made weather observations for more than 100 years.

The earliest instrument-based astronomical observations in the then Madras can be traced to 1786 at Egmore. Madras got its first scientific observatory established in the country by the British. The Indian Meteorological Department office still preserves a laminated sheet of paper that has the oldest records of Masulipatnam’s latitude and longitude taken in 1786 and 1787.

A short walk to the rear of the office leads to the relics of the yesteryear pride of the campus. A 15-foot granite pillar stands testimony to the establishment of the first astronomical observatory by the East India Company in the country. It was upgraded and shifted to this premises spread over 10 acre, which was then a ‘Garden House’, in 1792.

It was this pillar weighing 10 tonnes, erected by the then Governor of Madras, Charles Oakley, and four other structures that held astronomical instruments like altitude, transit circle and azimuth. The Madras observatory was established for ‘promoting the knowledge of astronomy, geography and navigation’ in India by the British.

The pillar has inscriptions in Tamil, Telugu and Urdu about astronomical measurements and the name of its architect Michael Topping. While the astronomical observatory and equipment were shifted to Kodaikanal in 1899, the monuments remain to tell the tales of yesteryear glory.

When the Indian Meteorological Department underwent decentralisation, the RMC, Chennai, was established. It was initially functioning in a small room and then moved to a new building in June 1960, records a handbook brought out by the Department.

Y.EA.Raj, senior meteorologist, noted that S.R. Savur assumed office as the first Deputy Director-General of Meteorology. There were even copies of his communication through telegrams about his arrival.