How ‘Murasu’ became the first Tamil name for a tropical cyclone

Fishermen bring their boats ashore as the sea turns rough with rising waves amid the approaching Cyclone Murasu in Andhra Pradesh on November 2, 2026 | Photo Credit: Kommuri Srinivas

A name rooted in Tamil’s cultural past is travelling across the Bay of Bengal as a weather warning. As the severe cyclonic storm advances towards the Indian coast, ‘Murasu’, a Tamil name suggested by the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai, has found its place in the region’s meteorological history.

The storm has been named from the second list of names for tropical cyclones over the north Indian Ocean prepared by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) panel. The traditional Tamil percussion instrument has lent its name to a severe cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal.

A view of the Tamil percussion instrument ‘Murasu’ displayed at Thol Isai Kalanjiyam Museum at Raja Annamalai Mandram in Chennai. Representational image. File | Photo Credit: K.V. Srinivasan