The darkest day

The big day was finally here. The biggest festival in Antarctica- the Mid-Winter Day. It was the darkest day (or should we call it night) of the polar night. According to an old tradition, anyone who is in Antarctica on 21st June is called a Polarman. But things are not so easy. Anyone who is here on this day has to spend almost a whole year here. That is because it is not possible to come and go to and from Antarctica during the winters. The last flights leave around March and start only in November. The ships also start arriving in only in December. This privilege is reserved exclusively for the winter teams. So this was a memorable day for all of us, especially the first timers. After all, being a polarman is a rare feat. Congratulatory messages were pouring in from all over the world and other Antarctic stations.

The Mid- Winter Day also means that it will only get brighter now. Half the polar night is now over. We will be able to see the sun again after 1 month. But winters are far from over. July and August are the coldest and the windiest months here. That means that the winters are just peaking.

The Russians came over to join us for the celebrations from the nearby Russian station, Novo. They were expected around 10 AM, but were late. They can't be blamed because driving time in Antarctica is highly unpredictable. When they did arrive, we all had a gala time. We exchanged small gifts, and then it was time for drinks, snacks and then tambola exclusively for the Russians. The Russians did not know how to play, so we guided them. They were playing for bottles of rum. Hence there was cut throat competition. They guzzled alcohol like water. We were no match for them. We interacted with them freely and took them around the station. Language was a major problem. But that did not hinder the conversation, which flowed like liquor. They enjoyed Indian dishes thoroughly. We had made every effort to cook according to their tastes- no chillies, minimum oil.

We had made some good friends. It was nice to see some new faces after a long time. We are now ready to face the rest of the time in Antarctica with renewed vigour, with the knowledge that now it's all downhill from here.

As our leader said- Ab hum roshni ki taraf ja rahe hain.