Cyclone Nivar has started the process of landfall between Puducherry and Tamil Nadu's Marakkanam, the weather office said late on Wednesday. The coastal states have been bracing for the "very severe cyclonic storm" - the fifth-strongest category on India's scale of seven storm types - and more than a lakh people have been evacuated from low-lying areas. Nivar has brought with it heavy rain and strong winds and forced authorities to declare a public holiday till Thursday, close the Chennai airport and metro services.