The blizzard continues

The blizzard continues to ravage us for the second day today. It picked up pace in the morning and sometimes the visibility was reduced to 100m. It was very unlike a cold winter blizzard. We can call it an enjoyable blizzard or a happy blizzard, with warm temperatures, low wind velocity, decent visibility but lots of snow deposition. Towards evening, the wind velocity dropped drastically, and as I write this, it is now reduced to just a snowfall with a breeze.



We had a gala time today with snow fights and a lot of frolicking in the snow after dinner. Unlike in the winters, the snow was wet and sticky, and so we were soon fully covered with snow. The wind did not bite as during the winters. It was a bonanza for the summer team members, who usually don’t see a blizzard during their stay here.

A Mid Summer Blizzard

This is something totally unexpected at this time of the year. It is peak summer time in Antarctica (22nd December was Midsummer Day). We don’t expect blizzards at this time of the year at Maitri. They do occur sometimes in coastal area, but not at our location. Blizzards are hallmark of the winters.



Weather was expected to be bad for 3 days starting today, 28th December according to the forecast given by Ralf, but no one expected a blizzard. What started as a snowdrift at noon time soon strengthened into a low intensity blizzard. It is continuing to blow hard as I am writing this. Although the wind speed in about 40 knots, but it is bringing in copious amounts of snow. The snow flakes are big and wet. They are not powdery as is seen during the winters, when they can be dusted off. The contrast between fresh snow and rotten snow is striking, though both appear white. Visibility is poor, but not as bad as during the winters. This is presently a moderate intensity blizzard, but the prediction for tomorrow is worse. The summer team is going to have a tough time tomorrow, while we are enjoying the what is probably the last blizzard before we depart at the end of next month.

R.I.P

This is it folks. The penguin kids did not last long. My next trip after the egg had hatched was on 21st Dec. I was delighted to find not one but two boisterous penguin chicks. They were tiny creatures, grey in colour and were flapping their tiny wings. They were hovering around their parent’s legs, darting in and out, chirping without a moment’s break, except when the parent lay down on them on its belly. The parent penguin did not move an inch from its place. It was constantly poking its beak at the kids, as if scolding them. It was a delightful sight. But their fate was never in doubt. My next visit to the place was on 25th Dec. This time the parent penguin was their, but the place was very quite. There was no chirping to be heard. The parent was still firmly in its place, but there was no movement near its feet. My worst fears came true when I zoomed in my camera near its feet. There lay two lifeless, furry creatures. The parent was standing guard over them, as if expecting them to come to life. It was constantly prodding them with its beak. But there was no chance. The kids were gone. The icy continent had taken its toll and the penguin kids met their fate. There was no food to go by for the penguins. The continent is lifeless, except for the birds, and the sea is 100km away. By the time the other parent returns with food, it is too little too late. But the penguins continue to come here following their instinct, looking for rocks to nest in. Now I only hope that the parent realises the futility of standing guard at the site and goes to the sea for food. Else, it will also meet the same fate. When that happens, the skuas are going to have a grand feast. If that does not happen and the penguin stays back any longer, they are going to have a real gala time.



That’s nature. Can’t help much.

Dakshin Gangotri Glacier

http://picasaweb.google.com/abhijeetbhatia77/DakshinGangotri

Many of us have visited the Gangotri glacier in the Himalayas. But a trip to the Dakshin Gangotri glacier is a once in a lifetime event because one would have to come all the way to Antarctica for that. I had this opportunity on 22nd Dec 2008. This was a long pending trip and we should have gone there in the winters itself. But better late than never. The Dakshin Gangotri glacier is about 10 km west of Maitri in the Schirmacher Oasis.

The geologists are monitoring the rate of recession of the glacier since the 2nd Indian Antarctic Expedition in 1982. This time too they were going to take fresh observations. A group of 12 people from the old as well as the new team went to the glacier. A group of scientists from the new team was to collect lichen samples from the Dakshin Gangotri glacier for study.

We left at 10 in the morning by Pisten Bully. We left the vehicle near Shivling that is about 4 km away and then trekked the rest of the way. We passed numerous lakes along the way, all of them in various stages of melting. We also crossed various historical landmarks on the way. The first of them was the place where the second Indian Antarctic Expedition landed in a helicopter and selected the place as a site for a permanent Indian Station. They placed a placard bearing the name “Dakshin Gangotri” there. The idea was later dropped because of the inaccessibility of the area to vehicles. The placard now lies in our station. The second site of historical importance was the site where Indians had first carried out drilling in the rocks to obtain geological samples in 1982-83. The rocks bore tell tale holes all around. An iron rod was inserted in one of them.

Most of the route was downhill. After a trek of about 5 km, we saw a tongue of ice projecting into Schirmacher from the continental ice cap on the southern side. This was the Dakshin Gangotri Glacier. It is also know as the Dakshin Gangotri snout, because of its resemblance to an elephant’s snout. It lay in front of us in all its grandeur. The contrast between the ice cap and the rocky Schirmacher was striking. We descended towards it, and on the way we saw markings on a rock that demarcated the spot from which the 2nd Indian Antarctic Expedition carried out the first survey of the DG glacier. The glacier rose abruptly from the ground. All its walls were absolutely vertical. Blocks of ice lay in front of it, descending into a lake. We lazed around the glacier for a while, taking in its beauty. The rocks around bore parallel markings signifying the direction of movement of the glacier. These markings were made by the rubbing of rocks by the moving glacier.

Soon it was time to get back to work. I was the ‘official photographer’, the position I have earned during the last one year. We ascended along the eastern face of the glacier and found some markings on the rocks. These were made by the GSI team in 1996 to mark the position of the glacier. We were shocked to see that the glacier was no where near those points. It had receded at a rate of 1 meter per year. These markings were present at various places on the eastern end of the glacier, and all of them told the same story. At places where the glacier had been 4 meters from the markings, it was now 16 meters. We made fresh markings at the present position of the glacier and I took photographs of the old and new positions of the glacier.

While ascending, we saw an ice cave in the vertical face of the glacier. There were massive icicles hanging from the roof, extending almost to the floor. At the base of the glacier, fine mud was seen. This was rock flour, and is formed by the grinding of rocks under the weight of ice over millennia. Water flowed from all sides of the glacier in copious streams into the lake at the snout of the glacier. There were small waterfalls too, falling from the ice face. I collected water from one of these to take back to India as a souvenir. Icicles hung all around the place with water dripping from their tips. We sucked them like lollipops. Soon it was lunch time. We descended to the base and had alu paranthas and fruit juice, rested awhile and then proceeded to the western face of the glacier. It was considerably less steep than the eastern face. But the findings were more shocking here. At one point, where the glacier was 1 meter away from the marking in 1996, it was now 33 meters. Nobody would believe it, neither did we. But the proof was right in front of our eyes. At places where the GSI team had to scale vertical rock faces in 1996, we could now walk over comfortably. There were some waterfalls here as well. If the glacier continued to melt at this rate, there would be hardly anything left in the next 10 years. We continued our work till 3 pm and then we collected a few rocks as souvenirs and started our return journey. We were dead tired by the time we reached the vehicle near Shivling. It was 7 pm by the time we reached Maitri. A tiring but highly satisfying day had come to an end. A trip to Dakshin Gangotri was something I could only dream of. But it has now come true.

The Skuas Lay Eggs

There is an abundance of skuas around. I can see around 8-10 pairs now and I have lot count of who is who. Shankar has found a mate. He hovers around our station, but since that is the preserve of its parents, he is not allowed near it. So he stays near the pump house.



Aish has laid its eggs near the Priyadarshani lake near the Tirumala hut and is now incubating them. I accidentally discovered this fact when I was going for a walk near the lake. Suddenly, Aish emerged from behind the rocks and screamed in a menacing tone. Her voice appeared to have gone bad. She was in a foul mood. Then equally suddenly, I saw Abhi rocketing straight at me, shouting in the same menacing voice. I thought that he was going to attack me. But he just wanted to scare me away. He hovered around me till I was at a comfortable distance from Aish. Then he stood guard till I left that place.



The next day, I again visited the site at a safe distance armed with my camera. I saw Aish through the powerful zoom of my camera and took a photograph. I could not see the eggs, but she is always seen in the same position, sitting down. This kind of behaviour can only be because of the eggs. We leave the couple alone and try not to scare them. In the pics below, Aish can be seen shouting and Abhi is having a swim.

The Eggs Hatch

18 Dec 08 dawned as a beautiful day. It was warm and sunny day with slight wind. It was after 18 days that we were seeing the sun. Till now, it was overcast and very windy with intermittent snowfall and snow drift. We were not able to venture out for any length of time. But today I decided to make use of this opportunity and went out for a long walk. Uttam Chand also joined me. He also enjoys long walks. Initially, we had planned to go to the skua’s nesting site across Priyadarshani Lake. When we did not find any breeding skuas there, we decided to go to the penguin rookery.

The snow had still not melted. So we slid down most of the way. I was soon drenched with sweat. Sweating is very uncomfortable in Antarctica because of the woollen clothing that we wear. It makes one feel cold. When we reached the site where we had seen a penguin incubating its egg a few weeks back, we heard a chirping site quite unlike that of a penguin. The egg shell was still there. But between the legs of the penguin, we noticed a greyish mass wriggling around. The penguin egg had hatched and what we were seeing was the chick of an Adelie penguin. It was tiny. The egg had probably hatched a few days back. The parent penguin was still in the same place as we had seen it a few weeks back, but there was a lot more guano around. It was just moving its head all over. Feet were stationary. This was a thrilling moment for me and I clicked my camera away merrily. But then the stark reality struck me. This chick will not survive for more than a few days. There was no food to keep it going. By the time the other parent returns with food from the sea, it would be too little too late.

Strange are the ways of nature. I will follow up the chick’s progress till it reaches its destined fate.

In the pics below, concentrate on the greyish mass between the penguin’s leg’s to the right of the egg shell. That is the penguin chick.

Santa Visits Maitri

It was a premature Christmas for us. The Russian Santa Claus was visiting us on 20 Dec. 08. We had been informed well in advance about this visit and so we were preparing for the divine visit for a few days. There was hectic activity at the station since morning. Actually, since yesterday. The lounge was being decorated, menu was decided and gifts for the Santa and his entourage were prepared. I was on cooking duty with Narayan Singh. It was a hectic day.



Finally, at 6 PM, we saw the Russian vehicles approaching us in the distance. An announcement was made over the station public address system and we were all on standby, cameras et al. The vehicles halted outside the gates and an elegantly dressed Santa stepped out. He had a one and a half meter long beard. He was wearing a red robe with golden embroidery and a cap and gloves to match. He spoke Russian in a deep baritone voice. One of his interpreters translated his words in English.



He came inside the station and moved around authoritatively. He spoke of the spirit of Christmas and Indo- Russian friendship. The Santa had come from the northern most parts of Russia, 14,000 km from here. He gave some mementos to the station leaders and then we raised a toast to the Santa and for Christmas. This was followed by cocktails and repeated rounds of photographs. We were falling over each other to get photographed with the Santa in all his regalia. It was a fascinating day for us.

Towards the end of the function, the Russian leader distributed certificates to all the participants of the Indo- Russian convoy held in Nov 08, of which I was also a part. Finally, the entourage left, with most of the Russians dead drunk at 8 PM. This event left us all refreshed for the rest of the 40 days of our expedition. The festive spirit did not leave us untouched.

Global Warming?

As is the trend these days, lets blame it all on global warming. Mid summer day is round the corner and the end of the polar day is just one month away. But the lakes in Schirmacher have not yet melted. Priyadarshani Lake is not even half melted and many lakes have melted only at the edges. The temperatures continue to hover around the zero mark. This is in sharp contrast to last year, when the temperature had reached +7ºC in November itself and there was an excessive ice melt. The lakes were completely melted and boating was in full swing. Though the lakes are sure to melt soon but it is too late in the day for that. Also missing are the beautiful ice formations and the rivulets that appear during the summers. The next 2 weeks are going to be warm. A lot of melting should happen now.

Maitri Goes Online

Today, 12 Dec 2008 is a historic day in the annals of Indian Polar Research. Maitri is finally connected to the World Wide Web since 8 PM in a grand inaugural function. The efforts of the 27^th ISEA have finally borne fruit and we are in touch with the happenings all around the world. The days of extreme isolation in Antarctica are finally over and we can look forward to happier and less stressful winterings at Maitri. TV transmission started in August and now the internet.

We had lugged bags of cement and iron hardware on our backs during the construction phase of the satellite antenna during the summer part of the 27^th ISEA irrespective of rank and professional qualifications, as is the norm in any Antarctic expedition. We had given up hope that the internet facility would start during our expedition. It is common in Antarctica that the team that does all the hard work does not get to enjoy the fruits of their labour. But we were lucky not to meet that fate. with still about a couple of months of our expedition left, we can look forward to enjoying the internet connectivity, and hopefully better blogs with photographs and videos straight from the icy continent.

Keep watching these columns for the hottest pics and maybe videos you would have ever seen.

Internet Activated

Internet has been activated at maitri from today.

Ice Caves Revisited

I visited the ice caves near Shivling on 6th Dec 08, this time with Uttam Chand a member of the new team. We went at around 9 PM. Time was not a problem because of 24 hours daylight.

I went there to see how much the caves had melted. But I saw that on the contrary, there is more snow than there was in September, when I last visited them. This time around, the snow had accumulated almost to the roof in the middle. We did not go in because of the risk of the ice caving in on us and there were some cracks visible on the roof. Moreover, there was no point in going in because there was too much snow. The ground had also not melted at all. The only signs of melting were the icicles all around. This was surprising.

The smaller caves were quite a contrast to the bigger ones. Half of the roof had caved in and roof of the remaining half was very thin. They could not be called caves any longer.

All around the caves were footprints as if someone had come here with crampons. They could be none other than the tourists from the nearby White Desert Tourist Camp, or the dhabawaalas as we call them. The tourists coming there are stinking rich, paying $40,000 for a ten day trip. It is sheer madness. All they end up doing is walk upto the ice caves, a few rounds on the snow scooter, a trip to the shelf on foot, some ice climbing and probably a day trip to the Humbolt Mountains, 100 km south of here. All this goes down the drain if the weather is not good, as it is these days. For us, the weather would not create problems, but not so for those who are not acclimatized to the cold here. The proprietors are all adventurers, who have skied to the South Pole a few times.

One Year Goes By

I have reached a major landmark today, the 6th Dec 2008. It is more of a personal landmark. It is exactly one year since I sailed from Goa for Antarctica. We sailed from Mormugoa Harbour, Goa on this day last year at 13:35 hrs. The moment we were sailing away from our homeland is still firmly etched in my memory. There was a horde of people to see us off at the harbour. The gangway was slowly lifted up. The pilot boat began to tug us away from our berthing place into open waters. We began to slowly sail away from land. All hands were waving high up in the air. My parents were also there in the crowd, waving at us till the ship was out of the harbour. My heart was full of trepidation. I did not know what lay ahead. I had some serious doubts whether I would be able to meet this challenge. I did not know what lay ahead. I had virtually shot in the dark. It was like going into the deep, dark and unknown forest. Had I bitten more than I could chew? I never needed to do this. I had everything going for me, when I threw it all away and took up this offer. These and many more thoughts were going through my mind as we sailed away from India and land slowly drifted out of view, and the only sign that land was nearby was the presence of sea birds. I had given up myself to destiny. I was sure it had something lined up for me.

But now, one year is over and we are at the fag end of our expedition. The worst, and also the best are finally over. The remaining few weeks are not going to be easy by any standards. But what I have experienced during the last one year has been worth every bit of our stay here, and all the hardships that we have undergone. Antarctica has given a whole new perspective to my life, and also a few extra kilogramsJ J. This is easily going to be the most memorable year for me for a long time to come. There will be many more such reminiscences. So I will save the rest for later.

The Team Departs

The deinduction of the 27th Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica continues. A component of 8 members of our wintering team left for home late night on 1st Dec 2008. They leave behind a sense of emptiness in all of us. We have been through so much together during our seemingly never ending stay at Maitri and it will be not be possible to forget them for any of us. They take with them some sweet and some bitter memories. The bitter ones will be forgotten soon but the good ones will linger on.



The ALCI flight of the IL-76 was scheduled to depart at 2 PM. Hence the departing members left the station at 11 AM. I also went to the Novo Runway to see them off. On reaching the Novo Runway, we were informed that the flight would be departing at 10:30 PM. This was because of a rescue mission under process. 2 adventurers who were attempting to ski to the South Pole from Germany’s Neumayer station were stranded on the way since their stocks were depleted. A Basler aircraft was to go to rescue them. All the members were given the option of going back to Maitri or to stay on till evening when the vehicles and the leaders would return again to see off the departing members. Many returned and others stayed back. I too stayed back. It would be a long awaited change and a welcome day away from the station.



I munched on the variety of food freely available at the ALCI cafeteria. There were a variety of meats, cheese & bread to choose from. The cookies too were yummy. I first helped myself to a huge portion of ham, salami and brown bread and white bread along with coffee. This was followed by an assortment of cookies.

There were 2 four- wheeled vehicles parked near the cafeteria hut. It is not usual to find such vehicles here. They were huge, something like the Hummer trucks. I went up close to investigate. A few westerners were working on and around the vehicle. Some were testing a tent nearby. I discovered those vehicles to be the Hilux model from Toyota. They were arctic trucks that were here to give support to a ski race to the South Pole. The participants would be air dropped 400 km away from the Pole, from where the race would begin but the vehicle would drive down all the way to the Pole. It was an amazing thought. I wondered if the vehicles were suited to the conditions expected enroute. The Pole is 2000 km from the Novo Runway and the route is ridden with massive crevasses. Temperatures of the order of -50ºC were expected on the way even at this time of the year. I also wondered if the wheels of the vehicles would be suited to the ice, instead of snow. Would they not skid? The vehicles had huge, spikes wheels but no chain that we normally put on wheels in the Himalayas.

All these doubts were put to rest soon. The vehicles had a ladder with which they could cross crevasses many meters wide. They would also have a sensor a few feet in front of the vehicles to detect hidden crevasses. The suitability of the vehicles to the low temperatures was not in doubt because they were Arctic Trucks, meant for use at the Poles. Later during the day I saw these vehicles speeding along the runway at probably 150 km/hr and breaking suddenly. They used to stop abruptly instead of skidding. The wheels of these vehicles were spiked. Hence, their suitability for ice was also good.

We were allotted a tent for the day. The tent had 7 comfortable beds where we spent most of our day. Soon it was lunch time. The cafeteria served a non veg stew and soup. I did not bother to ask what meat it was. The Russians are supposed to be particularly fond of beef and horse meat. Whatever it was, it tasted good and different from what I have been having all the year. I spent a lot of time exploring the airport. I went upto the smaller Basler aircraft that transports men and material to Troll, Neumayer and other areas nearby, and the larger IL- 76 aircraft, taking photographs from all possible angles. I also took a walk on the 3 km long runway. It had been evened out with a vehicle with spiked tyres. It was amazing. It is only in Antarctica that we can go right upto the aircraft and even board it and go all over the runway without any restrictions. There are no policemen or security guards in Antarctica. Everything is based on trust. I saw numerous old, abandoned vehicles belonging to Novo lying all around. They included bull dozers and sundry other vehicles whose utility I could not comprehend.

I saw 3 skuas permanently parked outside the cafeteria tent. They appeared to be working in shifts. At any point of time I saw only one skua there, and each time it was a different one. It used to wait for titbits from visitors. They were more docile and domesticated than the ones in Schirmacher and did not get scared away so easily.

I chatted up people from various stations around Dronning Maudland, including Russians, Germans, Norwegians and Canadians, who were going to Cape Town that evening. It was nice to talk to such a wide assortment of people. They all had interesting titbits to tell about their wintering experience. Most of our talk centred on blizzards and temperatures.

Soon it was dinner time. Dinner consisted of noodles, non veg curry and salad, along with pork. The place was teeming with people. Soon, our team members also arrived from Maitri and joined us in the cafeteria. As the time for departure neared, the outgoing members were reminiscing about their wintering experience and the good and bad times that we had shared here. It was a happy as well as an emotional time for them. They had developed an emotional bond with Maitri. But soon they got busy with the boarding formalities. There were no passport checks, or security checks. There was no restriction on the amount of luggage you carried, or what you carried. That’s trust, Antarctica style.

It was now time to go. The outgoing members were taken to the aircraft in a sledge drawn by a snow scooter. We followed them on another one and bid them the final goodbye before the aircraft was ready for take off. It finally took off at 10 PM, raising a lot of snow. It was bright sunshine when it took off, as it always is. We returned soon to a station that looked empty without those 8 members.

The Isolated Water Bowls

29th November was a very windy day. It had been so for a few days now. We did not venture out much because of the wind. The cold did not disturb us much. But today, Ralf, the meteorologist at Neumayer had predicted a decrease in wind velocity to 12 kt. So we planned a trip to the base of the Trishul peak for Dr Asim to take a few samples. We waited all day for the wind to die down. It did not quite reach 12 kt but it did drop to 20 kt in the evening. So we decided to leave at 6 PM. We were in no hurry to come back because there will be no sunset. There were 5 of us, Dr Asim, Leader, Asit, Hembram and myself.



So we proceeded towards Trishul. Instead of going to Trishul, we turned northwards before it and proceeded towards Long Lake from the eastern side of Trishul. I had never been here before. As we went on, we suddenly came across an area which was flat and was surrounded by hillocks all around. The ground here appeared to have been levelled. The grounded was carpeted with dried mosses. It looked like a bowl, enclosed on all sides. It had the appearance of a dried lake bed. And it was. It does get filled up with water during the summers. This inspite of the fact that it does not communicate with any other lake in the vicinity. The source of the water in that lake is the permafrost. When the permafrost begins to thaw during the brief Antarctic summers, the water rises to above the ground and forms a lake a few inches deep. With the onset of the winters, the water again seeps into the ground and refreezes. Since this lake has no drainage, the water does not leave it. The result is the high salinity and alkalinity of the water. This place appeared very lonely. Dr Asim took a few samples of the lichens and we moved on.



We crossed the western face of Trishul from a distance and we came across a deep gorge to the northern side. This again appeared to have been levelled. But this time it did not appear to be a bowl. It was long and appeared like a dry river bed. We descended into it by sliding down on the snow that was still relatively hard. This we later came to know, was the “flood plain” of the Long Lake. This implies that when the Long Lake overflows, it drains into this area. It was not totally dry but had a few isolated puddles of water. The only apparent source of the water in these puddles was the permafrost that had probably started melting. This was confirmed by the high alkalinity of the water that Dr Asim measured. The water in this puddle repeatedly underwent the cycle of freezing and melting during the last few days. This was evident by the presence of water rimmed with ice along the edge and ice in the centre. The wind was causing ripples in the water. Further on, there was a bigger puddle, that could be called a lake. It had a similar appearance, with a thin layer of ice at the edge, then water and finally a thick layer of ice again. There were a few rocks in the water. These were topped with ice. The water that passed over them froze in the wind due to the wind chill factor. This layer of ice appeared like multiple huge diamonds studded all over the rocks. At places, where the ice over the rocks had again started melting, were huge icicles. They appeared like the teeth of a shark and sparkled brilliantly in the weak sunshine. Had we gone further, along this lake, we would have reached the Long Lake. But we did not want to expose Dr Asim any more to this harsh weather (wind chill temperature was around -30ºC) and decided to return. The journey back was along the base of the Trishul peak and passed through a few more gorges. This route was known to me. Right at the base of Trishul was another isolated bowl. At many places, tell tale streaks of salts were present of rocks, that told about the presence of water there.

It was strange that even though I have been to Trishul many times, but I had never before seen these isolated bowls before.

A Penguin Rookery and an Esteemed Guest

The day dawned bright and clear. There was a brisk wind early on and so it was slightly chilly, though the temperature was a pleasant -5ºC. I was going for a field traverse along with a multidisciplinary field party for sample collection on 24th Nov 08. The most high profile member of our party was a microbiologist of Indian origin from the USA who is here on a NASA research project. Dr Asim is studying the survival mechanism of the micro organisms found here against the extreme cold and high UV radiation and its medical applications. He is here to collect samples from the lakes of Schirmacher Oasis. The other members of the party were 3 geologists, who are collecting ice core samples from the epi shelf lakes, a limnologist who was collecting lichen and moss samples and our leader. We were to go to a mini penguin rookery nearby via a few land locked lakes to the east of the station. This penguin rookery houses about 10- 12 penguins during the summers. We expected to find some penguins there, hopefully with the eggs.

We reached our first lake in no time at all. It had just started melting at the edges. The melting lake was a pretty sight, especially the region where water met ice. At places, the water had frozen again after melting. The layer of ice was weak. The mosses in the lake had revived again when the melting began. The various members of the team collected their samples and we moved on to the next lake. We collected samples from a few more lakes and then we decided to go to the epi-shelf lake near the penguin rookery. On the way we came across an area where soil was arranged in polygonal patterns. There were rocks in the crack between the polygonal patterns. Our leader explained this pattern. During the winters, the soil has permafrost, which thaws somewhat during the summers and expands the soil in the process. This expansion pushes the rocks sideways. This movement is of a miniscule degree, but accumulated over millions of years, it is appreciable. As a result of this movement, the rocks have been pushed to the junction of the polygons. Quite interesting indeed. He also explained the various striations seen of the rocks as due to glacier movement in the past. At places the rocks had a highly polished surface, again due to glacier movement. The glacier movement had also formed numerous gorges in Schirmacher, one of which led to the penguin rookery from where we were presently. This particular gorge was like a river bed and it appeared as if the earth had been levelled using a bull dozer. The appearance was striking.

The epi- shelf lake was still frozen stiff. It was strong enough to take our weight without breaking. But it was exxxxtremely slippery. We could not walk on the ice without slipping. So we crawled all over the place and had a lovely time. The geology team got busy drilling ice cores all over the place. The rest of us went to look for the penguins along the shelf.

We walked about a kilometre from the lake when we came to a rocky outcrop, where we expected to find the penguins. There were none. This was strange. However, we did see a few skuas hovering around. If the skuas were here, the penguins could not be far. Probably the skuas were waiting to catch a penguin for lunch. We finally came across an abandoned penguin nest. It was made of a collection of pebbles arranged in a circular manner. There were 2 such nests. There was no sign of the penguins or the eggs. The nest was stained with penguin guano. Dr Asim picked up a few stones that were streaked with penguin guano for his kids back home.

The geologists soon joined us. One of them told us that he had seen a penguin incubating an egg nearby. We thought he was pulling a fast one on us. However, he dragged us along. Sure enough, hidden among the rocks was an Adelie penguin sitting on a white coloured egg that was 3 times the size of a hen's egg. All the rest joined us. We kept a safe distance from the penguin so as not to scare it away. We got busy photographing and videographing the penguin and its egg. It appeared to be restless because of our presence. This inspite of the fact we were so far away from it that I had to use the maximum limit of my camera's 12x zoom to get a good close up of the penguin. We moved away soon to avoid causing much disturbance to the penguin. Dr Asim had never seen a penguin before. He said that this penguin made his trip to Antarctica worthwhile. Not that we had seen too many of them. We were all as excited as Dr Asim. We had our lunch and then headed back to the station. It was already evening by the time we reached back. A highly fruitful day thus came to an end.

It is really sad that inspite of the penguins best efforts, the chick is unlikely to survive. There is no source of food nearby. One of the parents treks down to the sea 100 km away. By the time it returns, its mate is already weak with hunger. It cannot bring back enough for the chick, which in turn grows weak and is eaten by the skuas. This is the fate of most of the penguin chicks born in Schirmacher Oasis.

The Midnight Sun

It's finally here. The midnight sun and my second polar day. The cycle is
near completion. It was polar day when I landed in Antarctica in January.
After 13th November the sun set at around 10:30 PM and rose again before
midnight. The sun has stopped setting since the 21st November, marking the
beginning of the polar day. In meteorological terms this means that the time
for sunrise for our latitude is earlier than the scheduled time for sunset.
The sun hovers around the sky 24 hours a day. It dips in the south at night
and rises before it can set. We at Maitri cannot see the sun for a few hours
at night because it disappears behind the glacier.

I am now comfortable with this weird day and night cycle. Once the sun
rises, I expect it to stay up for a few months. The same holds good for
sunset as well. I would find it crazy if the sun rises and sets the same day
everyday. I can go out for walks any time of the day or night now. In fact
some scientists prefer to go out on field traverses at night, when it is
cooler and there is less risk of sun burn.

Sleep is never a problem. I hang a towel on my window and switch on the
lights to simulate night.

Inspite of the sun glaring down at us 24 hours, the temperature continues
to stay below zero. It rose momentarily to +1ºC on 18th November before
returning to sub zero levels again. This was the first time since February
that we experienced positive temperatures. Melting is slow for this time of
the year. The lakes have melted only at the edges. But when the sun beats
down on a clear windless day, it can be uncomfortably warm. It has created
some interesting patterns on the melting snow and ice.

The Long Forgotten Crowds

The second batch of the new team arrived early morning on 22 Nov 2008. They are a mixed group of scientists and logistics personnel, of both the summer and the winter team. The station suddenly wore an overcrowded look. The loneliness of just a few days back is now a thing of the past. I don't remember when I last saw so many humans. It was a strange feeling. There was no place to sit when a welcome party was organised in the evening. I was feeling like a creature from another planet.

With this batch has arrived the next batch of much awaited fresh fruits and vegetables which were distributed among members of both the old and the new teams. The newly arrived team found it amusing when something as basic as onions were being distributed. Equal distribution and the size of onion one got was a major issue. Little did they know that we have not tasted an onion for the last 10 months. Apples again found no takers. The South African apples probably don't taste as good as the Indian ones. There was also garlic, ginger, lemons and coriander up for grabs.

The temperature being around -10ºC for most part of the day, the new arrivals were dressed in full polar gear, which we found strange. But we old timers were dressed as casually as we would in the Indian summers. After all its summer time and melting of the snows is in progress. It is hot by our standards. I am desperate to find out how I would take the Delhi winter when I return home.

A True Joint Convoy-III The Penguin Story

As we proceeded along the Russian barrier, we were welcomed by a few Adelie penguins. We had expected to find some Emperor penguins there. This was the only place close to Maitri where we could expect to see the emperor penguins. I strained myself attempting to locate the emperors. There were none in sight.

We parked our vehicles next to the Russian vehicle and started the decanting operations right away. We spotted a stray penguin close to our location. I set out after it to photograph it. But it ran away when it noticed me approaching. Initially it was waddling away on 2 legs, and then it began tobogganing on its belly. When a penguin slides on its belly, it can outrun the fastest man. It propels itself with its hind legs. Penguin footprints and belly prints were to be seen all over the place.

I spotted Sasha nearby and went to him. He told me that near the shelf there were a lot of penguins on a barrel dump. He had taken a half hour video clip there. He volunteered to take me to where the penguins were. We also took along Hukum Singh of the new team.

The penguin colony was quite filthy. It cannot be called a rookery because the Adelie penguins could not lay its eggs on ice. They need stones to make nests and lay eggs. There were about 50 Adelie penguins there. They were all stained with oil. The whole place was very noisy with the collective cry of the penguins. The cry of the penguins can be described as similar to that of a crow but in more rapid succession. One has to hear it to appreciate it. While crowing, they raise their necks high up in the air collectively. We attempted to go close to them expecting them to cower down with fright. But to our surprise, they fought back and attempted to attack us with their beaks. Their beaks were sharp enough to tear our flesh away. But they looked cute even in their anger, more so when they looked at us suspiciously out of the corner of their white rimmed eyes while we approached them. This was in sharp contrast to their behaviour when they are alone or in small groups when they run for their lives when they see humans approaching them. But in large groups, they fight back.

We noticed that the all the penguins had mates, and each pair was allotted a barrel. If anyone tried to encroach on another pair’s barrel, the other pair shooed them away. This sometimes used to lead to serious fights among the penguins. We were guilty of starting a few fights among the penguins. One penguin had dug a small pit in the snow and was collecting chunks of snow and depositing them in the pit. I felt that the penguin was probably about to lay eggs and was attempting to construct a nest. But Adelie penguins do not lay their eggs on snow. They need stones to construct their nests. They can travel 100 km to look for such places. This explains their presence at Schirmacher oasis.

There were many other penguins lolling around. I followed a solitary penguin wherever it went. It first went up the shelf, then along it, sometimes waddling, sometimes tobogganing. I kept a good distance from it so as not to disturb it. Finally it returned to the place from where it had started. It was such an anticlimax and a waste of time.

The fuel decanting continued the next day till afternoon. Thereafter we started back since the Russians were in a hurry to go back and we needed them to guide us back to the Indo- Russian junction. We followed them and reached the junction late at night. We camped there at night and completed the journey back the next day. Since the fuel was meant for the Novo runway, we dropped it off at the runway and reached the station at 9 PM on 16 Nov 08. Thus another memorable convoy came to a close.

Each convoy appears to be more or less similar. But at the same time each convoy had something totally new to offer. This is the reason I end up writing about each and every convoy. There is still a joint convoy with our new team left before we return home.

A True Joint Convoy- II The Spirit of Dakshin Gangotri

The next morning I woke up at about 6 AM. Sasha was ready with a light breakfast. I had some coffee and ham and went back to the Banjara. The Russians left soon after. Since they had to load fuel barrels before we reached the Russian barrier. We readied our vehicles, packed up the Banjara and left for the Russian barrier at about 9 AM. We were not acquainted with the route. Hence we were dependent on the GPS for the route. The route from the Indian shelf to the Russian barrier was fed into our GPSs by the leader for this convoy. The Russian barrier was about 40 km away. The journey was expected to take us 5 hours

We moved initially along our convoy route. But we turned right before point C18. Then we moved largely straight as per the GPS. Soon we were passing through an area which was flatter than any area I have seen on the shelf. There were no undulations here. There was copious amount of snow in this region. The snow was very soft. I had never witnessed such soft snow in Antarctica till now. Most of the snow I have seen was hard due to wind effects. This was so soft that the tracks of the vehicles sank in the snow.

This was the area where the Dakshin Gangotri station once was. It was an amazing feeling to pass through this area. I could vividly imagine the experiences of the wintering people at this station. It was as if I was living their experience. I could imagine a small station in the middle of nowhere on an absolutely flat, featureless piece of ice shelf, laden with snow. This place sees a blizzard every few days. Those blizzards are more ferocious than the ones at Maitri. They lead to astounding snow deposition. I could feel the depression and the loneliness that those members had once experienced in such a desolate place. It was hell. Getting lost in a blizzard in such a place was easy and led to a certain death. Incidentally, while travelling, I was reading a book “Citadel of Ice- Dakshin Gangotri” which gives an account of the first Indian wintering in Antarctica in 1983-85 by the then station commander, Brig SS Sharma. He has given such a vivid account of his experiences that it was as if I was wintering over in that era with him, more so since I was passing through the area of Dakshin Gangotri station. This was desolation at its best, or worst as one may take it. It was a strange feeling to realise that the station now lies buried 15 meters below in the ice, and that it would one day be released into the ocean with an ice berg, when the shelf breaks. To further take me back to that era, it had become cloudy and there was mild snowfall. But there was no wind. There was so much snow that I could not distinguish between the ground and the sky. Both were equally white. While driving, I felt as if I am driving in air. This was a typical white out as described in any book on Antarctica. Even if we were upside down, we would not have been able to make it out.

To further prolong my Dakshin Gangotri experience, one of the vehicles broke down. The snow was now coming down harder. Thankfully, there was no wind. Even the slightest wind would have caused a blizzard under such circumstances. The convoy team coolly went about repairing the vehicle, which took 5 hours. In the meanwhile I did some photography. I experimented with the camera settings to get the best possible photographs in such a featureless landscape. I did manage to capture the white out to my satisfaction.

The vehicle was repaired by 6 PM and then we proceeded to the Russian barrier, which was just half and hour away. We reached there at 6:30 and finally located the Russian vehicle close to the shelf edge in a depression.

A True Joint Convoy

This was a unique opportunity for me, and a rare one for any member of any expedition, including the convoy team. As is the norm, a joint convoy was planned with the convoy team members of the new team to acquaint them with the work during the convoy, as well as to hand over the equipment at the Indian Shore camp. Additional purpose was to tow the backloading containers to the shelf for the ship to take them back to India. But while this was being planned, we were told that we have to do a joint convoy with the Russians as well to the Russian Shelf (or the barrier as they call it and which I feel is more appropriate) to bring fuel for the ALCI flights. The Russians have been contracted for this job but they were unable to bring the entire quota required by ALCI during their convoys in the winters. Hence India has been approached to assist. This convoy was to be a joint convoy in a true sense of the word- the convoy team consisted of the old and new Indian convoy teams as well as the Russians. We were to go to our shelf as well as the Russian barrier. The entire operation was expected to take 4 days.

6 people from the old team and 4 people from the new team were to go with the convoy. There was no vacancy for me. Hence our leader tied up with the Russians for sleeping arrangements for 2 in their living module as there were sleeping arrangements for only 10 people in the Banjara. The Russians agreed and so another person from the new team was accommodated.

The plan was that we would leave Maitri at 5 AM on 13 Nov 08 and the Russians would leave at 8:30 AM as their vehicles were faster than ours. We would head for the Indian Shelf and meet the Russians enroute. We left the station as per schedule. Initially I was a co driver with Jamwal as usual, but later I was requested to give GPS training to Mr Bishnoi of the new team. Therefore, for the rest of the convoy period, I was with Mr Bishnoi and explained him the basics of navigation using the GPS. The weather was exceptionally warm this time around. The sun was uncomfortably bright. It was not possible to travel without sunglasses. The reflection from the ice made things worse. It was also very warm. We would not have been in much discomfort had we been wearing t-shirts and shorts instead of all the polar paraphernalia that we are now accustomed to. This, inspite of the air temperature of -10ºC. A few of us even lowered our dangris. This was in stark contrast to our plight when we had come to Antarctica late last summer, though at that time the temperatures were on the positive side of zero. We were all shivering down to our bones. This is the extent to which the human body can adapt.

We were all in a relaxed, happy mood. The convoy proceeded uneventfully to the Indian shelf. We finally reached the shelf at 6 PM. As soon as we reached the shelf, we noticed the Russian vehicle approaching us. They reached the Indian shelf by 6:30 PM. Since there was no period of darkness now, it was decided that we would finish unloading of backloading containers and loading of empty fuel tankers at night and leave for the Russian barrier the next day.

The Russian convoy consisted of just one vehicle, which was really huge and powerful. It was a modified T- 72 tank that is also used by the Indian Army. It was in a ramshackle condition and appeared to be on the verge of breakdown. It was tugging their living module as well as an empty container for fuel barrels. Their convoy team consisted of just 4 members, including Dr Benjamin, who has been assisting ALCI in preparing the runway during the winters for use in the summers. Dr Benjamin was fluent in English. The rest could only communicate using sign language. Alexander Sasha could also speak broken English. Most of our communication was restricted to these 2 members.

Dr Benjamin and Sasha have wintered over at various Russian Antarctic stations 3 times. Dr Benjamin, though a surgeon by profession, has switched over to the logistics branch of the Russian Arctic and Antarctic service. The Russian convoy chief has wintered over about 7 times and is the most experienced convoy team member that Russia has. He has been involved in running convoys from Russia’s Mirnyi station to Vostok about 1500 km away from the shores. This convoy takes 2 months to cover this distance, encountering temperatures in the region of -50ºC throughout. He lost 2 of his fingers due to frostbite during one such convoy. He is a very tough but jovial person, as most Russians are.

The Russian vehicles are of Soviet vintage and hence very old. They are capable of pulling 2 to 3 times more load as compared to our pisten bullys but they also require a lot of maintenance. This is evident in the poor shape of the Russian vehicles. They did most of their convoys with just 2 vehicles. The others were unserviceable. One of their vehicles is lying on our convoy route for the last 6 months. This is the reason why they were not able to bring the complete quota of fuel for ALCI. This threatens to stop the flights due to lack of fuel. Hence India was approached for help.

When they reached Indian shelf, after exchanging greetings, we told them about our plan to finish our work on the shelf at night and leave early morning the next day. Thereafter, Sasha expressed his desire to see the Indian shelf. I gladly obliged him and took him around. He was amazed by the cleanliness of our shore camp as compared to the Russian barrier. He did a lot of photography and then we returned to our vehicles. I went with Sasha to the Russian living module. It was massive. But on entering, I found it to be a dingy pigeon hole. It was very congested with poor lighting. It had accommodation for 6 people and was not very well maintained unlike our Banjara. I was told that this living module has been with Novo since 1971. I had some black coffee and snacks with the Russians and chatted up with them. I returned to Banjara with Sasha. He was interested in having tea. I served him some, but he then told me that he does not have milk or sugar. But he had the tea nonetheless and left. When our convoy team returned late at night after work, we invited the Russians over for drinks. They came over, but they are not allowed to have liquor during the convoy, especially the driver. So only Sasha had drinks. This was surprising since Russians are infamous for their voracious capacity for alcohol. We had a lovely evening with them and then they left. We had our dinner, and then I went over to the Russian living module for sleep. Sasha was put on duty to look after me, which he did well. There was a crisp, new bed linen waiting for me. I went off to sleep immediately. The rest of the Russians were already asleep. So there was no chatting. I was told that I would be woken up at 6:30 AM since the Russians were going to leave for the Russian Barrier at 7.

A Breath Of Fresh Air

The new team finally arrived on 6th Nov early morning. Not many people were able to sleep well that night in anticipation. Their arrival is like a breath of fresh air. I realized how stale and outdated we had become. It was like being caught in a time warp for 1 year. The station and its 26 inhabitants were the world for us. We had forgotten that there was a big, wide world beyond the endless snows, and that there are a lot of things more worthwhile than the petty bickering that the prolonged isolation in a tiny, closed society made us indulge in.

The arrival of the new team made us realize that there could be so many varying viewpoints and all could live in harmony with each other. They have injected a new energy into our lives. The world suddenly looks so much more rosy and colorful. We eagerly listen to the latest from the outside world, and about the latest movies and the general mood in the country. It is refreshing to see people wear new clothes, and bathe and shave every day. I have now recollected the smell of a deodorant. They have there tasks cut out for the summers as well as for the winters. Their enthusiasm to get on with there assigned jobs is infectious. All we from the old team can think of is about our journey back home.

In a way I was also disappointed with the summer team. A few members have been to Antarctica many times, though only in summers. They have never wintered over here. It was frustrating to realize that they view Antarctica from the blinkered viewpoint of a tourist. They have the typical ‘been there, done that’ mentality of a tourist. They are interested in the auroras and the blizzards in a very superficial manner. They do not realize that you can capture the true spirit of Antarctica only when you winter over here, and become a part of the continent, you are a partner in its fortunes and misfortunes, a citizen of the continent. One must be willing to face whatever Antarctica throws at you. It is a different ball game witnessing a blizzard from the safe environs of the station, and quite another to participate whole heartedly in ensuring the smooth running of the life support systems of the station, or going for a convoy in a raging blizzard in the knowledge that there is no other way out. There is a world of difference between being in Antarctica just for the mid winter day (though that is not possible presently) and a different ball game altogether to experience the loneliness of the polar nights and to feel the isolation overpower you. One has to be strong to maintain ones mental equilibrium and cool when someone under the effect of isolation tries to provoke you.

Some people may feel why undergo so much unnecessary suffering. True, it is a matter of choice. But the triumphant feeling one gets at the end of the wintering period is something to die for. It is unparalleled. However good I may be with words, one can never understand Antarctica until one has wintered over in this remote and icy continent. Whatever I wrote about Antarctica till date was just the tip of the iceberg. I did not have words to describe many feelings and moods. My tales from this frozen land may appear to be from grandma’s tales to many and most will not believe me when I tell them about this fantastic continent. Nor will they understand the feelings and memories behind each of my photographs and videos clips. Many will dismiss these with disdain. But Antarctica will remain within me for ever, and that is what matters.

The Onion Tales

The arrival of fresh food has been a windfall for us at Maitri. It has created a strange situation here- onions have become the new currency here. Onions are being traded with lemons, each onion is being consumed in partnership with 2 or 3 people who have a contract with each other. People are also looking to acquire onions from each other through ‘nefarious’ means- coax, cajole, cheat- all is fair.

My partner is Chaubeyji. We now have our dinner together so that we can share one onion among the 2 of us. We either make a vegetable or an omelette or eat it raw as salad. If the onion is too large for the 2 of us to consume, then we rope in another partner with a binding on him to return us the favour when he fishes out his onion. I managed to obtain an onion recently from My Rayudu, who did not want to eat it. It was a bonus for me as well as for Chaubeyji, and increased our bargaining power with the others. Chaubeyji also managed to get one from Gaffar. So we both can be counted as richest people in Maitri presently.

Fruits- apples and oranges are not much in demand and hence do not increase our bargaining value. They can be obtained by the dozen.

The Last Day of Our Wintering

Today, the 5th November 2008 is a watershed day in the calendar of our expedition. It is the final day of our wintering over period. The 28th expedition members are arriving in the wee hours of 6th November. By the time this post goes online, they would already have arrived. The concluding chapter of our Antarctica saga would have begun. The only task left would be to await our date of departure from the icy continent.

It is going to be a sleepless night, as we await fresh faces and ideas and a fresh approach to life. The expected time of departure of the ALCI flight from Cape Town is 9 PM Maitri time on 5th Nov, and it would arrive here at 3AM on 6th. The reception team would leave for the airport at 1 AM, while the rest of us would wait anxiously for the arrival of the new team.

Puddles of Water

It was a clear day today, 5th November 2008, after few days of cloudy and windy whether and one day of blizzard. So I went out for a short walk after lunch. It was a warm day at -5ºC. The first thing I noticed as I trudged through the snow deposited during the winter blizzards was that my feet sank ankle deep into the snow and left deep footprints. Walking through snow was tiring business. Just a few days back the snow was windpacked and walking on it was as easy as walking on a concrete floor. The snow also felt wet and sticky instead of the usual dry, powdery consistency that we have come to associate with Antarctica snow during the last one year.

As I walked on, I came across a few lakes. As I was attempting to cross one of them, I heard a slish slosh sound. I looked at my feet and was surprised to find myself standing in a pool of water about 1 inch deep. However, I thought that this might be an aberration and tried to move on. But at many places the situation was a same. The puddles were often covered by a thin layer of ice which cracked as soon as I stepped on it and my feet encountered water. On my way back, I came across a slope that was covered with ice. There, I noticed a tiny stream of water trickling down the slope from the lee of a stone.

This was the first time in the last 10 months that I saw water outside the station. Till now it was all snow and ice. It is now suddenly unsafe to venture out on the snow and ice. We have to tread carefully. Gone are those days of walking all over the lakes and the snows without caring to watch our step, secure in the knowledge that everything would be as hard as concrete.

The snow petrels, penguins, skuas, warm days, 24 hours daylight (sunrise- 00:58, sunset- 20:56), and now liquid water- all signs of arrival of summers are now present. Summer is now well and truly here.

The Penguins Visit Us

On 30th October 2008, we had 2 surprise visitors. At about 5PM, we saw 2 Adelie penguins hovering in the pump house area. They were tiny creatures, about 2 feet in height, with white rimmed eyes.

We rushed out to photograph them. As long as we were some distance away from them, they were relaxed, but as soon as we attempted to go close to them, we scared them off. They used to flap their ‘wings’ and run away. Many a times they were within touching distance. But we resisted the urge to touch them. We wanted them to spend some time with us. Soon, they were surrounded on all sides by eager Maitrians out to photograph them. We sat down in the snow with the penguins in the centre. They were standing quietly, sometimes squawking and calling out to each other. We photographed them at leisure and enjoyed each and every movement of theirs.

Their coat was splendid. It had a velvety appearance, white in front and black at the back and the face. It was shimmering in the evening sun. They also had a tiny tail, which used to twitch every now and then. We spent about an hour with the penguins. Then seeing that they were in no mood to leave, we went back to the station.

Now that the penguins have come here, they would surely have reached the penguin rookeries in Schirmacher. This is the ideal time to see them building their stone nests and follow their breeding season- the eggs, young ones.

But all said and done, Schirmacher Oasis is the grave yard of penguins. It is about 100km from the sea and there is no food available for the penguins and their young ones here. Hence once the eggs have been laid, one of the parents leaves for the ocean to get food while the other one incubates the eggs. The parent who stays back grows weak waiting for food. It then starts looking for food in the lakes of Schirmacher and once it is weak enough, it either dies of starvation, or is eaten by the skuas. The eggs and the unprotected chicks also meet the same fate. This is the order of nature and there is nothing to be done to change it. The penguins follow their instinct and come here looking for nesting sites and the skua does what it needs to survive.

Keep watching this column for more on the penguins.

The Skua Story So Far

As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, the first skua arrived on 18th Oct. The poor guy arrived alone and still continues to be alone. Since then 2 more skuas have arrived on 25th Oct. They are a pair. Skuas being territorial animals, return to the same nesting place year after year. The first skua was born at Trishul and returned at the same place. The other 2 were born at Maitri and returned here.

Lets name the first skua Shankar (since he was born near Trishul) and the other 2 skuas as Aish and Abhi since they form the perfect couple. Shankar is a loner. He is detested by Aish and Abhi. These 3 skuas are never seen together because Aish and Abhi always chase Shankar away whenever he tries to get close to them. Whenever Shankar is nearby, Aish & Abhi turn their heads skywards, spread their wings and begin to squawk at the top of their voices. Poor Shankar turns away in flight. All 3 spend a large part of their day on the snow piled up in front of Maitri. They are often seen pecking at the snow to quench their thirst. The snow is filthy with their droppings all over. At night they return to their nesting places.

Though all 3 are permanent residents of Maitri, they are still scared of us. They fly away whenever anyone tries to get too close to them.

There is another skua at the Novo runway. This one has been pampered hopelessly. There is plenty to eat & drink there and plenty of people to offer him all kinds of non veg food. Tourists adore him as he is the only living creature they are likely to see for the entire duration of their stay in Antarctica. He is fully domesticated and does not mind if people take him in their hands. We met him when we went to the runway to see of one of our team members on 1st Nov. He was at the airport last year as well.

The breeding season will start soon. But we will be back home before the young ones hatch.

Isolation Ends

1 November 2008 marks the beginning of the summer season for us at Maitri and all other stations in Dronning Maudland. The first ALCI flight has landed at 3 AM on that day. It was scheduled for 31st Oct, but the time was not certain. We received a call from Novo at 9 PM on 31st Oct that the flight has taken off from Cape Town and will land at 3 AM on 1st Nov. With the arrival of the first ALCI flight, our 7 month long isolation has ended.

The return flight out of Antarctica was tentatively scheduled for 2nd Nov but at 9 AM on 1st Nov, Novo informed as that the flight has been preponed for take off at 12:30 PM on 1st Nov because bad weather was expected the next day.

Our deinduction has started with the departure of the flight as my fellow medical officer at Maitri has started his journey back to India on that flight. 7 of us had gone to see him off at the Novo runway. It was a very happy experience for me. On my way to the runway, I was thinking of the time when I will make my last trip out of Schirmacher Oasis at the time of my deinduction. It will be a very emotional moment indeed and is just a month away. Our conversation on the way centered on Cape Town and the blast we would have there.

At the runway, we met the incoming summer team for the German Antarctic Station, Neumayer and chatted up with them. It was certainly very refreshing to see some fresh faces and exchange greetings with them. The fresh, cheerful and enthusiastic members of incoming teams were a stark contrast to the bedraggled appearance of the wintering people, with the strain of wintering over in Antarctica clearly visible on their faces. It was nice to meet people who have just arrived from the civilised world. We were feeling and probably looking like tribals in comparison.

We also met Jim, the pilot of the Basilar MIA aircraft that was to transport the German team to Neumayer, but were stuck up due to bad weather at Neumayer. He had taken a circuitous route to Novo runway because the aircraft is meant for small distances. It had arrived here from Punta Arenas in Chile via Bellingshausen (Russian Station on the peninsula), Rothera (British Station on Antarctica peninsula), Halley (British station on west coast of Weddel Sea) and Neumayer.

Ralf, the meteorologist and forecaster from the Neumayer station has also arrived. He is responsible for giving weather forecasts for Dronning Maudland during the summer season mainly to assist flight operations. He sent us his first weather report to us on 1st Nov.

The flight to Cape Town finally took off at 2 PM. There was a curious crowd of on lookers photographing the IL 76 as it took off. I took an invaluable video of an aircraft taking off on an icy runway, billowing snow all around as it moved. I saw the aircraft long after it was well out of sight, dreaming about the day when the same aircraft would transport me out of Antarctica.

The Luxury of Fresh Food

We had come to the Novo runway to see off one of our wintering members on 1st Nov when the ALCI people sprang a pleasant surprise on us. They informed us that there was some cargo for us that had come with the first flight from Cape Town. To our delight we discovered that the cargo consisted of fresh fruits and vegetables, something we have been starved of for the last 8 months. We were fed up of eating the tasteless frozen food that is already one year old. We used to eat just to survive. This was a bonanza for us.

On our return to the station, we opened the boxes to find carrots, green apples, oranges twice the sized we get in India, lemons 4 times the normal size, green chillies, coriander leaves, onions and broccoli. All the expedition members had gathered around the boxes and were already drooling at the sight. Some of us even photographed the eatables, some even going to the extent of posing with the booty. We were told that the cost of importing these eatables was 10 times the actual cost of each item. That made it all the more precious.

Later on the eatables were distributed among the team members. Each on of us got 2 apples, one carrot, one huge onion and one huge lemon. The rest of the stuff was handed over to Narayan Singh, our cook. One can never think of such excitement at the sight of a humble, commonplace vegetable like an onion as was seen here. We had a gala time at dinner. There was a lot of salad around. Onion and carrot salad with lemon, green chillies and salt and pepper- that was my dinner and the stuff had never tasted better. But it left me with an upset tummy probably because I am no longer accustomed to eating anything fresh or maybe it was the effect of an excess of green chillies. The taste of the fruits and the vegetables still lingers in my mouth as I write this.

This was the first instalment of the goodies we expect in the coming days.

The Summer Camp Preparations

We have now started preparing for the coming summers in right earnest, and along with it for our return back home.

The first batch of 15 members of the 28th Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica is scheduled to arrive on 5th Nov. Hence the preparation of the summer camp is in full swing. Snow has been cleared from inside and in front of the living accommodation and the toilets. The emergency medical supplies will soon be moved from the Annapurna hut, which serves as a refreshment hut for the summer team. The Dodabeta hut, which is the recreation hut for the summer team, too will be cleared soon. All these tasks would have been accomplished by the time this blog is posted.

Our containers with material to be back loaded to India are now ready and have been shifted to Sankalp. They will be taken to the shelf in the joint convoy with the next team.

Work is going on at full swing at the airport as well. The Novo team is on the job. The runway is being smoothened out, the cafeteria and the living accommodation tents are being put up. The first incoming flight is scheduled for 31st October, and the first outgoing flight leaves on 2nd November. We are expected to have a few international guests, mostly scientists in the summers.

There is no period of darkness here now. On 30 Oct 2008, the sun rose at 1:37am and set at 8:16pm. There is no period of darkness now. Dusk is followed by dawn at about 11pm. The sun is shining brightly by the time I go to bed. Though we are five and a half hours behind IST, here the sun rises earlier than it does in India.

Time really flies in Antarctica. I feel as if I came to Antarctica just a few weeks back, but the whole year has passed by. These last few days are difficult to pass and we are all eagerly awaiting our return flight in December. Each day counts now. But before that, the lively and busy summer season awaits us.

Your Touch Sends Shivers Down My Spine

This phenomenon is certainly a number one irritant. It is like a computer virus, that comes up unannounced, is capable of causing extensive damage and one can never quite get rid of it permanently. One has to constantly run antiviruses to remove it. But it comes back again.

I am talking about the static charge. It has assumed epidemic proportions in Antarctica. We expect anything we touch to give a powerful shock. Human touch, door handles, walls, taps, tables, cupboards, clothes- anything. We gingerly touch- or rather, tap anything we are about to touch to minimize the shock and to discharge ourselves. Static charge can be so strong that sometimes sparks have been seen flying between 2 hands about to be shaken. We truly have an “electrifying” atmosphere here.

But static charge is not so benign. It has ruined and continues to play havoc with any electronic equipment at Maitri. Computers have borne the brunt of the scourge. Many have been ruined beyond local repair and have to be sent back to India for repairs or for replacement. CDs, pendrives, music systems, DVD players, and floppy discs- nothing is spared. My laptop has not been spared either. Its internal speakers have gone phut sometime back. Scientific laboratories are the most high risk areas. Any damage to the computers there due to static charge could mean loss of valuable scientific data for the whole year- data for which the international scientific community waits for one year.

Extensive earthing has to be done to prevent static charge. There are grounded copper wires all over the areas where computers are present. One has to touch these wires and discharge oneself before touching a computer. Not once, but every time one touches a computer even in the same sitting.

A few of the telephone instruments here have been damaged recently. So the door of the communication room and the table on which the telephone instrument is kept has been earthed completely so that an individual entering the communication room is discharged as soon as he enters. I have a copper wire hanging in my room from the fire alarm cables on the roof. It is like a “ghanta”. I pull it every time I am about to touch my computer. I don’t allow anyone to touch my computer. There are lots of invaluable photographs and videos on it.

The cause of high incidence of static charge in Antarctica is not yet clear. Some attribute it to extremely low humidity and others to the earth’s magnetic field. Meanwhile, the destruction continues…..

Unexpected beauty

Mr Venkatarayudu and I went for a short walk on the eastern side of Maitri, along the glacier on 21 Oct at 10am. It was a bright, sunny day with a light breeze blowing, sometimes picking up and causing us some inconvenience in the process. We intended to return soon.

We decided to explore some slopes of the glacier. At places huge chunks of the glacier had fallen away leaving behind a vertical icy cliff, overhanging at places. On either side of this vertical cliff was a relatively gradual slope along which sastrugis had formed due to snow deposition by the wind. These served as excellent steps to ascend the glacier. I went up one of these till I encountered ice. I ascended as much as I could before I felt the ice too slippery and steep. I thought it prudent to return.

We then continued east, till we saw a proglacial lake nearby. We had never seen that lake before and decided to explore. It was a banana shaped lake extending in an east- west direction. The southern half of the lake was frozen in a rippled manner like any other lake. But the northern half was smooth like glass, with not the slightest irregularity. One could easily play carom on that surface. Surprisingly the smooth half was not as slippery as the rippled half. One could easily run on it. The northern bank had an overhanging cliff, which probably had protected it from winds while the lake was freezing, leaving the corresponding half of the lake smooth. There was a small cave in the rocky cliff along the lake.

The western end of the lake merged into a circular lake that had also frozen in a similarly differential manner. The periphery was smooth like the banana shaped lake. But the centre was frozen in ripples. What was more astounding was that the centre was raised above the periphery by about half a meter. The centre of a lake usually freezes after the periphery. Also, water expands when it freezes. Hence, when the centre of this lake would have frozen, it would not have found adequate space to expand and had risen in this manner. We continued north across this lake. This lake continued as a frozen stream to a very small lake downhill. Surprisingly, the surface of this frozen stream was also smooth like glass, although it passed over rocks and descended quite steeply. This area was easily the most picturesque spot in whatever I have seen of Schirmacher oasis. Not even the ice caves rival it. It qualifies as a number one picnic spot. One can have lunch in the tiny cave along the banana shaped lake, or a glass of beer on the snowy southern bank or rather, on the lake itself while it is still frozen.

We then continued to the eastern end of the banana shaped lake, only to discover that it was connected to another lake behind a rocky ledge by a small stream. This lake was also a proglacial lake and was quite large and unremarkable.

As we continued further east along the glacier, we stumbled across another picturesque proglacial lake. This was as unique as the previous one. It was surrounded by the glacier on all sides except the western bank from where I was approaching. On the southern flank of the lake, the glacier rose steeply and very high. One had to strain ones neck to see the top of the glacier. There were numerous icicles dangling at various places. One of them was about 1 meter long. This glacier sloped downwards along the western flank of the lake to form a vertical wall surrounding the western and northern flanks of the lake. The centre of this lake was about 2 meters above the periphery. This was not surprising, considering the high, icy walls enclosing the lake. This lake had a menacing and strangely ferocious and inhospitable look to it. It was eerie. We spent some time exploring and taking photographs. Then we returned to Maitri. It was already 2pm by the time we reached back. We had spent 4 hours at lakes that were just 15 min away from Maitri. It speaks volumes about the beauty of these

The Trishul Peak and The Long Lake

On 14th Oct, I planned a trek to the Trishul peak and the Long Lake along with Shuklaji. The Trishul is the highest peak in Schirmacher, though it is only about 300 meters above sea level. The Long Lake is supposedly the longest lake in Schirmacher at about 1.2 km. They both lie north- west of Maitri, close to each other.

We left at 10am under windy but sunny conditions. It was bit uncomfortable. But we decided to go anyways. We first crossed the Priyadarshani Lake to its western bank. The lake had now become very slippery due to the melting and refreezing in the October sun. One had to tread cautiously. We traversed through moraines and over the hills through rocky and snow slopes. We crossed numerous lakes on the way. When the lakes melt, we will have to skirt them and the distances will increase manifold. At places the snow was soft, but at most places, the snow was wind packed and hence almost as hard as ice. We reached the base of Trishul in about half and hour. Now the steep slopes of Trishul loomed in front of us. Since we were on the windward side, there was minimal snow deposition. The slope was largely rocky. Some rocks were huge boulders, but at many places there were loose stones. This made the climb treacherous. One had to have a good grip on at least 3 limbs before lifting the 4th limb. I also had my cameras to take care of. Shuklaji, being a “pahadi” person, climbed up like a mountain goat. I was huffing and puffing all the way, taking each step with extreme caution. The wind was not making life any easier. It pierced through my clothing like a thousand needles. The vapour from my breath froze in front of my nose and mouth on the balaclava. Finally, we reached the top. Just below the top, there was a huge boulder where we took refuge from the wind for a while. After a brief rest, we went to the peak, which had been marked with a wooden pole by one of the previous “explorers”. I managed to take a few snaps from the top, but my hands and my camera froze in the wind. It was a while before the sensation returned to my numb hands. Sweat made matters worse. All of Schirmacher was visible from the mountain top- the eastern end to the western extremity. Novo was also visible and appeared deceivingly close to Maitri. I quickly began my descent on the leeward side of Trishul. This was more difficult than the ascent, since most of the slope was covered with wind packed snow. It was dangerously slippery, with rocks jutting out menacingly. Shuklaji was already down by the time I had even started. I took each step with great caution, grasping rocks where ever I could. I took about half an hour to descend.

We now proceeded in the northerly direction to the Long Lake. This was an easy walk and took about 15 minutes. On the southern bank of the lake is a steep cliff towering high up. The northern bank is level. Standing in the middle of the lake, the huge expanse of blue ice all around presented an awesome sight. We rested for a while on a rock beside the lake and took in the views and the silence. Then we proceeded along the length of the lake in the easterly direction, and then back to Maitri along a different route. The round trip took us about 3 hours.

Dakshin Gangotri Station

The following is an account of India’s history in Antarctica from the information I have gathered during my stay in Antarctica from various sources.

India launched its first Antarctic expedition in 1981. It was a summer expedition and was a brain child of Indira Gandhi, the then prime minister of our country. From then on, India has sent an expedition to Antarctica every year. The first wintering was in 1983 at the 1st Indian Antarctic station, Dakshin Gangotri, which is about 70km from Maitri.

The Indian expeditions were started with a scientific intent, unlike most other countries that have a claim over various regions of Antarctica. Since presence in Antarctica also has a strong political impact internationally, it is highly advantageous for India to have year round presence in Antarctica, especially with the continent suspected to have huge reserves of hydrocarbons. Mining is currently banned under the Antarctic treaty, but one never knows what’s going to happen in the future.

Unlike Maitri, Dakshin Gangotri was constructed on the ice shelf, 15km from the ocean. It was constructed on a raft foundation. It was much smaller than Maitri and 2 people had to share one room. Conditions were a lot tough then. Communication was limited to one liners exchanged from home about once or twice a month. There was no telephone connectivity. Now we are even about to get internet. Hence, wintering was a much more strenuous and commendable effort. The teams then had a huge contingent from the armed forces to look after the logistics. Since the station was on the ice shelf, there was no where to go for walks, no places around to explore. All around there was just an endless, featureless expanse of ice. Being closer to the sea, it experienced much more blizzards during the winters as well as summers. If Maitri experiences 20 blizzards a year, DG had 60. The minimum temperature experienced there was -55ºC. Hence, outdoor activities were limited to just a few hundred meters around the station. Many people did not venture out of the station during their entire stay.

Due to excessive snow deposition and also in large part due to repeated ice melting and refreezing in the summers, it slowly sank in the snow. During its final years, even the roof of the station was under the surface. The only access to the station was by a duct line passing through the snow. So it was like living in a virtual rat hole under the ground, with no doors or windows and a roof and walls of snow. This had an adverse psychological impact on many members. This was when the 2nd Indian Antarctic station was planned and Maitri was constructed in 1989. That was also the year of the last wintering at DG. It was the only year when there were 2 Indian wintering teams in Antarctica, one at Maitri and another at DG. The next year, DG sank deeper into the ice and had to be abandoned. A few porta cabins were, however, constructed there for the convoy team (the Indian shelf has since been shifted to the present location) as well as for scientific research during the summers. For the last 10 years, even those have been abandoned and DG now lies buried 60 meters under the snow, with no external sign of a station ever being there.

This is a problem with all Antarctic stations constructed on the ice shelf and various innovative techniques have been developed to handle the problem. The American south pole station, Amundsen- Scott, has been constructed about 7 times and the British station, Halley, on the Filchner ice shelf in the Weddel sea 5 times (these figures are approximate). The most popular innovation is to construct a station on stilts which can be jacked up every year to above the surface. This extends the life of a station by a few years, but ultimately the station does get buried under the ice and a new one has to be constructed. For this reason it is preferred to construct stations on exposed landmasses like Schirmacher oasis. However, exposed landmass constitutes only 2% of Antarcticas area. The rest is ice. So this is not always possible, more so for stations on the Antarctica plateau.

We have now come a long way since the days of DG. Facilities have improved markedly. Internet will reduce isolation to a great extent. India is also likely to launch a satellite in the near future that will also cater to our requirements in Antarctica. This will revolutionize telecommunication facilities. Flights have started operating to Dronning Maudland since 2002 during the summers. A few months back a test flight was successfully completed by the Americans during the polar night. This might open the doors for year round flights to Antarctica, at least to allow emergency evacuation on medical grounds. India now proposes to construct its 3rd Antarctic station at Larsemann Hills in the same longitude as India. It is likely to be completed by 2011. It will be an ultra modern facility, competing with the best in Antarctica. This year, India has also constructed its first year round station in the Arctic, named Himadri. We are truly progressing fast now.

The Gang Returns

They have finally returned, signalling onset of summers. The snow petrels, the skuas and the penguins- they are all back. So Antarctica is lively again with life.

We first saw the snow petrels on 10th Oct during the convoy as mentioned in one of my earlier posts. They are now a regular feature here as well as at the shelf. During the last convoy, which was from 15 Oct to 20 Oct 2008, they were seen hovering all over our containers and our vehicles. They were to be found in groups, busy with each other, and diving all over the place.

During the same convoy, we also saw the first of our penguins- the trademark of any trip to Antarctica. You have not seen Antarctica if you haven't seen the penguins. On 18th Oct, I had gone for a walk to the edge of the ice shelf, from where the ocean begins. It was a steep, over hanging ice cliff, with a moat formed on the pack ice along the icy outcrop. I suddenly heard a squawking sound coming from that area. It was surely a bird's call, but I wasn't sure if it was the penguin, the snow petrel or the skua. The sound was coming intermittently. I could not see any bird around. I searched for about 15 minutes, and then the bird calls stopped. I turned back and returned to the Banjara. Sometime later, a few of the convoy team members returned to the Banjara and asked me if I took any photographs of the penguins. "What penguins?" I asked, surprised. "The ones that were following you." came the reply. "What are you talking about?" I asked. "Arre saab, jab aap ice shelf se waapas aa rahe they tab 2 penguins aapke peechhe peechhe aa rahi thi. Aapne dekha nahin?" I initially thought that they were pulling a fast one on me. But then I realised that they were saying the truth. How could I miss the penguins of all the things, that too when they were following me. But the damage had been done. Mariappan had photographed them and ran after them. They got frightened, and ran inland. They ran fast enough to outrun a man. "They must be going to Maitri since their breeding season is about to begin." we thought. They were a pair of Adelie penguins, the most common species of penguins found in our part of Antarctica. Well.. better luck next time... they will soon be swarming at penguin rookeries around Schirmacher.

When we returned to Maitri, we were informed that the skua had also returned on 18th Oct. This was the same skua that was born here last year. We could make that out from its dark brown plume of feathers. He was also the last skua to leave Maitri in April. Its sibling had dies soon after birth. This one has parked itself right outside the station building and basks in the sun all day long. There is no melt water to drink yet. So it is often seen pecking at the snow outside the station. The departure & arrival of the skua is a major event in the Maitri calendar. It was a mixed feeling, since the same old cycle of survival of the fittest will now begin. The food chain is now complete- the skua feeds on both, the snow petrels as well as the penguins. So there's a bloody summer ahead of us.

The 7th convoy was unique in many ways. It was the last convoy of our expedition. The last lot of containers were brought back to the station. It was also the longest, since the cranes at India Bay had to be repaired; the empty containers also had to be arranged in an organised manner in order to prepare for handing over to the next team. The convoy lasted 6 days in all. The weather was mostly sunny but rather windy. There is no period of total darkness now. The sun rises at 2:25am and sets at 7:30pm. This is followed by dusk till about 11:30pm, thereafter, the glow of the sun is visible in the south east. So on our way back, there was sunshine all the way. This was the first time we reached the station is broad daylight. We wore our sunglasses all the way back, unlike the previous convoys, when we struggled to reach the station in total darkness.

At the ice shelf, there used to be a thick layer of snow. But this time there were big patches of blue ice visible. The snow had either melted away or had been blown away with the wind. The snow, wherever present, was extremely hard because of windpacking. The sun's radiation is now so strong that one can feel the heat when it falls on one's face, even though the air temperature is around -18ºC. Vast areas of exposed ice are also visible near Shivling, where there was a uniform blanket of snow just a few days back. I hope there is no excessive ice melt like last year. It might cause problems for the next team during the convoys.

The icebergs presented a very pretty sight this time around. Around 50 icebergs grounded in the fast ice are visible from the ice shelf all along the horizon. The rays of the early morning sun accentuated the contours and the contrasts. It was a very photogenic scene.

The crevasses have started to open up as well, both at the shelf as well as around Maitri. Many a times my foot sank into one of those crevasses covered by a thin layer of snow. Though most of these crevasses are not large enough to swallow a vehicle or a man, they can surely lead to a few broken bones.

The lakes around Maitri too have become very slippery due to the repeated melting and freezing of ice. So we have to watch our step. They are still strong enough to allow a vehicle to pass over them.

We still have to do a joint convoy with the next team to train them.