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 I realized how stale and outdated we had become.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.