In Odisha, Over 300 Babies Born During Cyclone. Many Of Them Named "Yaas"

As the Odisha administration battled Cyclone Yaas, which battered the state, more than 300 births were registered with some families wanting to name their newborns after the menacing storm, officials said. Several of these babies were born on Tuesday night, when the storm was approaching the country's eastern coast.

Sonali Maiti, a resident of Balasore, said she couldn't have thought of a better name than Yaas for her baby. Similarly, Saraswati Bairagi, from Kendrapara said, she named her baby girl after the storm, as that way everyone would remember the time of her arrival. "I am extremely happy about the fact that my child came to the world on a day that would be remembered by one and all. I have named her Yaas,'' Bairagi added.

Similar reports came from other parts of the state about parents naming their babies after the cyclone, officials said. Cyclone Yaas got its name from Oman. The name is said to have originated from a Persian word, which means Jasmine.

The state government had earlier said that as many as 6,500 pregnant women figure in the list of people who were shifted from the low-lying cyclone-prone areas. Many women, who happened to be in the last leg of their pregnancy, were moved to Maa Gruha or delivery centres and other local hospitals, according to the government.

A handful of them gave birth at the multi-purpose shelter homes, with Anganwadi and ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers helping them, the officials said. According to reports received from the worst-affected Balasore district, 165 births were registered in different health centres amid the cyclone, said Chief District Medical Officer Dulalsen Jagatdeo.