27-05-2025
Daily Briefing: Monsoon mayhem in Mumbai
Good morning,
Yesterday, we discussed the monsoon onset in Maharashtra, which occurred two weeks ahead of schedule and was the earliest in at least 75 years. My colleague Nayonika Bose dug deeper and discovered that a phenomenon called the 'Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO)' is one of the reasons behind this early onset.
Zoom in: MJO is a complex, moving system of winds, clouds, and pressure originating in the Indian Ocean. These wind bands can travel around the world in 30 to 60 days, influencing weather patterns along the way. When they move over India, they can amplify monsoon rainfall. This time, they were accompanied by a strong cross-equatorial flow that added extra moisture.
This early monsoon isn't limited to Maharashtra. It reached Kerala on May 24—eight days ahead of schedule—marking an early onset across the subcontinent. Anjali Marar breaks down the complete picture of what led to this rare event.
Rain fury: The first deluge brought 200 mm of rainfall to parts of the maximum city. The infrastructure crumbled under the heavy downpour, severely waterlogging roads and at an underground metro station. Walls collapsed and trees fell across the city, disrupting everyday life. The weather department has issued a red alert warning of extremely heavy rainfall for Mumbai and neighbouring Thane, Raigad, and Ratnagiri districts.
What went wrong? The monsoon's premature arrival caught Mumbai off guard. The deadline for completing essential pre-monsoon tasks, including road repairs and drain cleaning, is usually June 1, meaning they were unfinished when the monsoon arrived. My colleague Pratip Acharya points to the key factors that paralysed Mumbai: non-functional dewatering pumps, incomplete desilting work, and dug-up roads.
Mind the enemy: In response to the Pahalgam terror attack, the Indian defence forces launched a meticulously planned mission, Operation Sindoor, that broke new ground on several fronts. All three services came together for a coordinated strike deep inside Pakistan for the first time. However, the real game-changer lay in the planning, featuring a new strategic approach called 'red teaming.' This involves bringing in a select group of experts who think like the enemy. They critically analyse the plan and simulate enemy reactions, stress-testing every detail. Intrigued? Read on.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his cabinet have decided to meet at a resort in Pahalgam, the site of the April 22 terror attack. They aim to instil confidence and encourage tourists to return to Kashmir.
Order, order: In five murder cases linked to the 2020 Delhi riots, the police relied heavily on the chats from a WhatsApp group, Kattar Hindu Ekta, to file chargesheets against 12 accused. On Monday, a Delhi court ruled that WhatsApp chats cannot be 'substantive evidence.'
Housing woes: BSP supremo Mayawati has vacated her Lutyens' Delhi bungalow, citing security concerns. While the top leadership has remained tight-lipped on the matter, a senior party functionary stated that vehicles needed for Mayawati's security were causing inconvenience for a nearby school.
Linked: Mizoram has become the fourth Northeastern state with its capital, Aizawl, connected to the national railway network. Earlier this month, Indian Railways completed a successful trial run for the new Bairabi-Sairang line.
Boundaries: Former Chief of Army Staff, V P Malik, reflects on the parallels between India's Operation Vijay during the 1999 Kargil War and the recent Operation Sindoor. He writes about how India remained composed in both instances and made its point without escalation.
Prison break: Nothing could have prepared the Jaipur Police for what they witnessed after receiving a tip-off about a 'jail break.' The scenes unfolded in a city hotel, where some policemen lounged in the lobby while jail inmates met their spouses and partners in the rooms above. These inmates, facing serious charges ranging from sexual assault to murder, were allowed to roam freely around the city. While two of them were found in hotel rooms, two others were discovered eating poha. Wild, right? My colleague Parul Kulshrestha has more details.
She's witty, formidable, and the OG roastmaster of Indian television! I leave you with this refreshing take on Maya Sarabhai, the cutthroat matriarch of the hit TV series, Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, and why Gen Z has claimed her as one of their own. This is the first article from our latest venture, 'Fresh Take', which puts the lens on pop culture, digging deeper and asking pertinent questions. Watch this space for more!
🎧 Before you go, tune in to today's episode of the '3 Things' podcast, where we discuss the rebalancing of troops at the border, the floods in Bengaluru and the removal of a High Court judge.
That's all for today, folks! Until tomorrow,
Sonal Gupta
