The 3rd edition of the Indian Navy’s Meteorological and Oceanological Symposium – Meghayan 25 – was held on 14 Apr 25, to commemorate the formation of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and celebrating WMO Day 2025. Hosted at the Nausena Bhawan at Delhi, the symposium was virtually inaugurated by Adm Dinesh K Tripathi, Chief of the Naval Staff. The event brought together an impressive array of distinguished experts, high-ranking naval officers, outstation guests, and key stakeholders from across the meteorological and oceanographic spectrum. Premier organisations like the India Met Dept (IMD), the Indian Institute for Tropical Meteorology (IITM), the Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), the Indian Air Force, Space Applications Center (SAC), ISRO, Ahmedabad, National Maritime Foundation (NMF) and the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) participated in the event. The seminar was organised to align with this year’s WMO Day theme – ‘Closing the Early Warning Gap Together’.
The technical program was divided into two enriching sessions, each moderated by seasoned Subject Matter Experts. Session I, moderated by RAdm G Rambabu, Principal of the Indian Naval Academy (INA) and the seniormost Met Officer, featured a series of insightful presentations that showcased cutting-edge developments in Marine Meteorology and Oceanology. Session II, moderated by Cmde SMU Athar, Cmde (NE), shifted focus to Statistical Approaches in Weather Forecasting. Both sessions ended with stimulating Q&A, sessions with active participation from the audience. The event also featured an incisive and thought-provoking Panel Discussion focused on “Closing the Early Warning Gap Together: Enhancing Maritime Security and Coordination” bringing together experts to deliberate on integrated strategies for maritime safety and preparedness. The discussion was moderated astutely by VAdm Pradeep Chauhan (Retd), the Director General NMF.
The final session was presided over by Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, the Vice Chief of Naval Staff. The event was also attended by Vadm Tarun Sobti, the Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, VAdm Lochan Singh Pathania, the Chief Hydrographer to the GoI and veteran Met officers. Dr Nilesh Desai, Director SAC, Ahmedabad graced the occasion as the Guest of Honour, while Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, the Director General IMD and Hony Vice President of the WMO delivered the Keynote Address.
A key highlight of the event was the felicitation of the pioneer of the Navy’s Meteorological specialisation, Cmde PI Oommen (Retd). The 94 years young first Principal Director of Naval Oceanology and Meteorology addressed the gathering and shared a few treasured memories and experiences with the audience.
In keeping with the quest for continuous improvement of meteorological services within the Indian Navy, Meteorological and Oceanographic Satellite Data Archival Centre – Indian Navy (MOSDAC-IN) web services, a joint collaboration between the Directorate of Naval Oceanology and Meteorology (DNOM) and SAC was officially launched by Dr Nilesh Desai. MOSDAC-IN, which provides customised satellite derived weather products with separate log-ins for individual Naval Met Offices.
The symposium also saw the revival of its professional Meteorological and Oceanological journal after a gap of almost 10 years. The 10th edition of “Sagarmanthan” was launched during Meghayan 25.
