This is a world far removed from the rest of the world. The way we do things here is vastly different from how it is done elsewhere. Each aspect of life- be it the activities that are unique to Antarctica or the mundane day to day activities- has a different taste. This is because of a variety of reasons like the extreme isolation and the extreme climatic conditions and a dearth of people who did a lot of things for us back home. The unique thing is that whatever supplies have come are final. Whatever has not come will not be available till the summers. However big or small it may be. No amount of money can get those things here now. One may be a millionaire but it does not matter in Antarctica. So meticulous planning is paramount for an Antarctic expedition. Let's have a look at the way of life at Maitri.
What we eat:
There is plenty to eat and drink. Almost everything that we are used to at home can be prepared- rice, dals, roti, vegetables, sweets, chicken, mutton, fish, prawns, pork, eggs, packaged foods, namkeens, juices, cold drinks, breads, pickles, sauces etc. But that is where the similarity ends. All fresh food was over before the winters began. Vegetables are available in their frozen avatar. Potatoes mean precooked french fries, garlic means garlic paste, tomatoes mean tomato puree, lemon means lime juice cordial. There is no substitute for onions available. Fruits mean readymade fruit juices. The last lot of apples was consumed on the last day of the polar night. That was the last bit of fresh stuff left over. They lasted this long because of immaculate storage procedures followed. For now, it is goodbye to fresh foods till the ALCI flights begin.
Eggs and bread were something we used to fuss over a lot for their freshness back home in India. The bread dare not be more than a day old. All that is now history. Everything arrived with the ship and there will be no more supplies till the ship arrives next year. That means the bread we are having will soon be more than one year old. Eggs have frozen over. So when they are peeled after boiling, they come out half their original size. They also have a peculiar brown colour.
Milk was till now available in cartons. But now that it is over, we make do with powdered milk and milkmaid. . There is plenty of tea, coffee, bournvita, horlicks, complan and cheese. Dry rations are available in plenty as well.
The water we drink:
We are lucky to have 24 hours running water supply, both hot and cold. It comes from the Priyadarshani lake. It is glacier fed lake. Hence it is like distilled water. One can drink straight from these lakes if one is feeling thirsty. It does not contain any impurities, no micro- organisms, no minerals- not even the minerals that are necessary for the body. That can lead to a lot of deficiencies. The water freezes upto a depth of 2 meters in winters. The piping in the pump house goes deeper than that, and has heaters installed in it to prevent water from freezing while it is being pumped out. The pipline upto the station has trace heating for the same purpose. After the water has been pumped, the pipeline is dried with a blower. If the water freezes in the pipeline, it tends to burst. Many a times the pipelines get choked, more so on windy days. The ice is then melted by pouring boiled water and then running the blower.
However, waste water disposal is a problem. The waste water pond is now full and frozen over. In the summers, the waste water which goes into the pond from a sewage treatment plant, seeps into the ground. But now, the water has frozen over and is unable to seep through the permafrost. So it piles up near the outlet, blocking the outlet. Mr Raghunathan, who is in charge of water and sewage disposal systems works hard to melt the water in a small area and discharge it in other areas of the pond. When there is a blizzard, this is not possible. So water is at a premium. All bathing and clothes washing is stopped.
Fuel:
We use aircraft turbine fuel for generators and vehicles. That is the only fuel that does not freeze at the temperatures experienced here. We also have some petrol in small quantities. For cooking, LPG is used. While it is in the containers outside, it is frozen and has to be stored inside for sometime before use.
Writing material:
We are rediscovering the childhood joys of writing with pencils here. although pens are available in plenty, the ink freezes when used outdoors. But pencil lead does not.
Electricity:
There is uninterrupted power supply available from the 3 generator complexes here. They have been named Bhaskara, Surya and Aditya. They are run by turn 24 hours a day. Heating is mostly through hot water radiators that maintain the indoor temperature at a comfortable 15ºC. There are electric heaters also available but they are used only where radiators are not present to reduce the load on the generators. Any interruption in the electricity supply stops the various life support systems like heating and water supply. So the efficient running of the generators round the clock is a must.
Travelling:
It is mostly done on foot if restricted to Schirmacher. But distances are shortened considerably due to the frozen lakes. One can walk right over them. If the trip is planned anywhere on the ice cap, outside Schirmacher, then vehicles are used, but that is rare. Due to snow deposition in the blizzards during the winters and also due to freezing of lakes, many areas of Schirmacher are also accessible to vehicles. The Pisten Bulleys can run on the lakes.
Entertainment:
Lots of activities are possible. A whole lot of indoor and outdoor games are present. A well stocked library, that contains in addition to other books, a wealth of information on Antarctica. A collection of over 3000 movies in also available. So killing time is not a problem. It is upto the individual whether he wants to kill time or utilize time. My favourite are long walks around Schirmacher and sometimes on to the glacier and the ice shelf. I like to explore various lakes and take in the different sights. In October the penguins establish rookeries around Schirmacher. They will be a delight to visit. I also indulge in a lot of photography.
Clothing:
Whenever one goes out, one has to wear atleast 7kg of clothing. A dungaree, warm trousers and shirt, balaclava, 3 layers of gloves, 2 layers of polar socks, snow goggles, and huge snow boots. This is the standard equipment. No outdoor venture is possible without any of these.
Communication:
Limited telephone time is available via Intel sat. Internet is limited to just email less than 100kb once a day. But life is good without TV, internet, newspapers and the constant ringing of the telephone.
House keeping:
All expedition members are put on galley duty by turn. They are responsible for the general cleanliness of the station on that day. their duties include cleaning the floors, washing utensils, clearing the dining table, cleaning the toilets, incinerating the toilets and garbage disposal. Night duty personnel are responsible to keep a watch on the life support systems including the generators all through the night. These people are volunteers. The cook, generator mechanic and the night duty personnel are exempt from galley duty due to the nature of their duties.
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