BULLETIN OF IMSP - (IMD), Pune

a regular member of the American Geophysical Union, Washington in 1951. Dr. Churchalso wrote to Prof. Berkenis of the California University about me. At that time Dr.Pisharoty was studying in USA under Prof. Berkenis and he asked Dr. Pisharoty to writeme asking me to join the California University. Dr. Pisharoty wrote several letters to mefrom USA asking me to avail of this opportunity when there were so many people tryingto help me. As ill luck would have it, due to financial constrains, I could not avail of thisopportunity! On his return from USA, I met Dr. Pisharoty in New Delhi and he told methat I missed a great opportunity when there were many people ready to help me.After return form USA, Dr. Pisharoty was posted as Director in the Offices ofIMD at Pune and Bombay. I lost contact with him for a good number of years, but thiscontact was resumed in 1965 when I joined IITM, Pune on being selected by the UPSCfor one of the four posts of Senior Scientific Officer in IITM, Pune. Dr. Pisharoty wasalready selected as the Director of IITM, since Nov., 1962 and he remained in that postup to the end of 1966. After his retirement from IITM, by the end of 1966 he joinedPRL, Ahmedabad but whenever I got a chance to meet him, he would tell me that hewas very much interested in the type of studies that I was carrying out in IITM. This factwill also be clear from the following -When he was at Ahmedabad I normally used to send him reprints of my papers.It also happened that on my sending him a reprint of the paper on 'Break monsoon'rainfall in the Himalayas (Published in the Int. J. of Climatology, UK) he wrote me backin his letter dated 14 April, 1985 - "As usual, your study about the rainfall over theEastern Himalayas, during the 'breaks' has been exhaustive. Your rainfall studies havemade the establishment of IITM, Pune worth while. The Nation has to be grateful to youfor your silent efforts and 1 record my gratitude once again, as a citizen of India!"In this connection it may be relevant to mention here that he sent me a copy ofhis letter dated 23 March, 1989 from Ahmedabad warning the authorities at Delhi on thebasis of my paper entitled "Hydro meteorological study of Sept., 1880 rainstorm whichcaused the greatest rain depths over northwest UP. In that letter to Delhi Authorities hewrote that he had a hunch that such a flood situation or something nearly equal mayoccur in Delhi and its neighbourhood in Sept. 1989 or 1990. He suggested that a projectbe initiated to simulate the Hydrologic, Economic and Social Consequences of such aflood calamity. The letter contained a copy of the isohyetal map of the rainstorm withthe words "after Dhar, IITM".In recent years after his shifting to Pune from Ahmedabad, I did meet Dr.Pisharoty several times both in IITM and at his residence. Of course, he was very kindand courteous towards me and used to call me as the person who had been going to theHimalayas. I also remember that when I was to leave for USA for training inHydrometeorology in Nov., 1966, he came to my residence at Pune with his wife toconvey me his blessings personally!The above are some of my reminiscence of Dr. Pisharoty. I remember him withgratitude and deep respect. He was a great meteorologist and above all a fine nobleperson with broad human sympathies!11