12 Facts About Pancheti Koteswaram

Pancheti Koteswaram was an Indian meteorologist, hydrologist, atmospheric physicist and the Director-General of Observatories of Government of India.

Pancheti Koteswaram was a professor at University of Chicago, University of Hawaii, University of Miami and Tehran University and served as a research associate at National Hurricane Research Laboratory, Miami, and the National Centre for Atmospheric Research, Colorado.

Pancheti Koteswaram was born on 25 March 1915 in Nellore, a coastal Andhra Pradesh town, to Pancheti Subbarayulu Davar and Venkatasubbamma but lost his father before he turned one and was brought up amidst limited financial means, by his mother and grandmother, both widows.

Pancheti Koteswaram completed his early education in Nellore and passed the Intermediate examination from Andhra University with first rank, winning the Sir R Venkitaraman Gold Medal.

Pancheti Koteswaram graduated in physics with honours from Presidency College, Chennai of Madras University in 1934 and started his career as a junior lecturer at Andhra-Christian College, Guntur where he worked till 1936 when he moved to Andhra University, Waltair, continuing his teaching career and simultaneously doing research in Raman Effect under the guidance of I Ramakrishna Rao.

Pancheti Koteswaram published his conclusions in an article, The Easterly Jet Stream over the tropics, published in Tellus A, a Swedish scientific journal in 1958.

Pancheti Koteswaram was one of the early researchers in the field and did extensive research on the spiral cloud bands related to a cyclone.

Pancheti Koteswaram's researches have been published in several articles and presented at various seminars including the Inter-Regional Seminar on Tropical Cyclones of Tokyo in 1962.

Pancheti Koteswaram was credited with the setting up several cyclone distress mitigation committees with government, scientific community and public participation for information dissemination, planning of disaster management operations, setting up of cyclone shelters and the establishment of cyclone warning systems.

Pancheti Koteswaram was associated with the World Meteorological Organization and served as its vice-president in 1971, the first Indian director-general to be elected to the post.

Pancheti Koteswaram was the author of several articles on meteorology and hydrology; his articles were published in many national and international peer-reviewed journals and were cited in several texts on the subjects.

Pancheti Koteswaram was a member of the editorial boards of several journals and was the editor of Indian Journal of Meteorology and Geophysics.