It's Action Time

The polar nights are now long over, and so is period of post polar night blues. It's now time to shake away the laziness and get back to business. The days are now 9 hours long and the temperatures are expected to start rising in September. There is a lot of work to be done before the next team arrives in early November. The convoys will resume around the 15th September. It is a bit early but in order to make up for the less number of convoys before the polar nights on account of poor 'road' conditions, they have to start early. The only condition is that the temperatures should be above -20° C at Maitri. That would correspond to a temperature of -30°C at the ice shelf. The rest of the expedition members in the station will spruce up the station before the next team arrives. The summer camp has to be made ready, snow has to be removed from the accommodation, water lines have to be unchoked and the accommodation has to be cleaned. The regular maintenance of the station has to be carried out along with the necessary repairs to hand over the station in good condition.

This is also the ideal time to start exploring around and also for photography. The wildlife will start returning in October. There will soon be penguins, skuas and snow petrels all around.

This last leg of wintering is also the most stressful time. All are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the next team and our departure in December, leading to anxiety and impatience. The preponderance of experienced people in our team is a boon and that helps in keeping us youngsters in check. So far the wintering has been a pleasant and a learning experience.

The latest good news from Maitri is the introduction of TV telecast here. During the summer period this year, a dish antenna was set up for the purpose of video conferencing, TV and internet. Now, the set up in India is also complete. So we are now able to enjoy TV all day long. Although we can receive only one channel at a time, but it is really helpful in lifting the morale of the team. We feel better connected with our homeland. It gives us a glimpse of the civilised world and normal life back home. Soon, we are expecting web browsing facility as well. That would improve things further and improve the communication with our family and friends apart from keeping up to date with the world. I would also be able to post pictures on this blog.

In the meanwhile, I have to get back to 'normal' life here. I just returned from a walk in the blizzard. I took a few video clips outside and they have turned out to be truly awesome. This is the most blinding of all that we have had so far. It is truly ferocious and is bringing in a lot of snow. There is a lot of work that will need to be done in and around the station if it continues. Right now the concern is to prevent the water and sewage lines from getting choked.