  We begin with a review of the predictions for cycle~24 before its onset.
After summarizing the basics of the flux transport dynamo model, we discuss how
this model had been used to make a successful prediction of cycle~24, on the
assumption that the irregularities of the solar cycle arise due to the
fluctuations in the Babcock--Leighton mechanism. We point out that fluctuations
in the meridional circulation can be another cause of irregularities in the
cycle.
