A Tirupati-based techie would not have imagined in his wildest dreams of figuring in the speech of Prime Minister, but he did get into Narendra Modi’s famed radio address ‘Mann ki Baat’ on Sunday.
B. Sai Praneeth, an EEE gold medalist from Anna University, Chennai and a resident of M.R. Palle locality of the temple city, shot to fame for his concept of ‘AP Weatherman’, through which he used to provide weather forecast on social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, which benefited the farmers across the State and urban residents of Tirupati, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Kurnool cities. The idea was borne out of the questionable predictions being provided by various channels in the name of weather forecast, leaving the denizens disillusioned.
In his address, Mr. Modi appreciated this software engineer’s efforts to reach out to the society.
Though employed in Bengaluru, the 24-year-old is currently working from Tirupati. He has been providing accurate forecast since August 2020. “Many websites and agencies provide weather-related data, which are, more often than not, far from accurate. It was when I decided to take the plunge to help the farmers,” Mr. Praneeth told The Hindu on Sunday.
Nivar prediction
His near-accurate prediction of Nivar cyclone and the unseasonal rains in January and February this year made many subscribe to his media handles.
His participation in an event on ‘Changing weather trends in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana’ organised by UN Habitat, which was also published in their journal, made his name heard far and wide. In fact, Mr. Praneeth credited the weather column appearing in The Hindu as the major source of inspiration behind the launch of his initiative.
He thanked the Prime Minister for mentioning his work in his public address. “Such a recognition will certainly help me focus more on better outcomes,” a visibly-thrilled Mr. Praneeth said.
