Baby ‘Biparjoy’: Like Tradition In Odisha, Gujarat Newborn Named After Cyclone

Gandhinagar (Gujarat): There is a tradition to name babies in Odisha after natural calamities.

Many ‘Titlis’ were born in October 2018, ‘Fanis’ in May 2019 and ‘Yaas-es’ in May 2021 following those cyclones which hit the east coast.

Now, as the very severe cyclonic storm ‘Biparjoy’ approaches landfall near Gujarat’s Jakhau port and Pakistani coast, there is news of a newborn being named after the cyclone.

A couple in Gujarat has decided to name their one-month-old daughter ‘Biparjoy’, NDTV reported.

The family, from Jakhau in Kutch district, is among thousands to have been moved out from their homes to a safe shelter.

Though the cyclone on Indian Ocean formed much after the kid was born, the parents must have followed family custom to name her at one month of age.

Unlike other names, though, the girl may not be amused when she grows up and learns that ‘Biparjoy’ means disaster.

The name of the current cyclone was chosen by Bangladesh and adopted by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) countries in 2020.

Each tropical cyclone is given a name to avoid confusion, and many names are decided well in advance.

“Nations in the Northern Indian ocean began using a new system for naming tropical cyclones in 2000; the names are listed alphabetically countrywise, and are neutral gender wise. The common rule is that the name list is proposed by the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) of WMO Members of a specific region, and approved by the respective tropical cyclone regional bodies at their annual/biennual sessions,” the WMO website states.

Not just cyclones, people in Indian have named newborns after different natural calamities. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, babies were named ‘Corona’ and even ‘Lockdown’!