By
Gandhinagar: In the early 1980s, India was a country at a crossroads. It was still navigating the economic constraints of the License Raj, where red tape dominated every decision. Buying machinery to production required a stack of permits, leaving India trapped in a maze of bureaucratic paperwork. Technology was limited, resources were stretched, and color televisions were yet to be introduced in Indian homes.
Against this backdrop, the idea of launching a secretive mission to Antarctica—a remote, uninhabited continent of ice and snow—seemed almost implausible.
Yet, amidst these challenges, a remarkable vision was taking shape. In May 1981, Dr Syed Zahoor Qasim, the first Secretary of the newly established
Department of Ocean Development, confidently answered a daunting question: Can India even get to Antarctica? His response was succinct, bold, and unwavering: Yes.
Listen to the podcast here👇
This extraordinary feat, captured in the podcast India’s Greatest Journeys: Dakshin Gangotri, is a story of human resilience, collaboration, and courage. Created by Mantra, the founder of MnM Talkies, and narrated by Dhruv Lohumi, the son of a mission member who also serves as the creative director and lead writer, the podcast invites listeners to embark on India’s groundbreaking journey.
A Son’s Journey to the Frozen Frontier
Dhruv’s narration forms the emotional core of this podcast. His childhood memories of being mocked for claiming his father, Lt Col Hem Lohumi, a key member of the 1983 expedition, set the stage for a deeply personal quest. Through his father’s journals, conversations with scientists, and interviews with mission veterans, Dhruv reconstructs the untold story of Dakshin Gangotri.
Lt Col Lohumi, the youngest instructor at the High Altitude Warfare School of India at the time, was also among the youngest members of the 16-member mission team. By 1983, he had led an expedition to Nanda Devi, India’s second-highest mountain, in 1980. He was a postgraduate from IIT Roorkee, earning gold and silver medals.
Dhruv’s Instagram post about the podcast reveals a complex father-son dynamic, marked by admiration and a struggle to emerge from his father’s shadow.
Overall, Dhruv’s voice is not that of a dispassionate historian but of a son uncovering the sacrifices and triumphs of a pioneering team. He blends personal anecdotes, expert interviews, and storytelling, drawing listeners into the frosty, isolated world of Antarctica.
Dr SZ Qasim: The Visionary
Considered the “Father of India’s Polar Research Program”, Dr Qasim’s vision culminated in an expedition that was so secretive that even the participants didn’t know their destination until they were already at sea. On December 6, 1981, the first team set sail from Goa aboard the Norwegian vessel MS Finnpolaris.
Just over a month later, on January 9, 1982, at 3 am. Indian Standard Time (IST), the first Indians stepped onto the icy expanse of Antarctica. This milestone marked the beginning of India’s first permanent research base on the icy continent.
Much like the BBC’s celebrated podcast ‘Thirteen Minutes to the Moon’, which explores humanity’s first steps on another world , ‘Dakshin Gangotri illuminates a national story of ambition, ingenuity and creative problem-solving. Both podcasts succeed not just by recounting the technical and logistical challenges but by centering the human experience—the fears and sacrifices of those involved.
Dr SZ Qasim’s interview to ‘All India Radio’ in 1989
A Team Forged in Ice
The podcast weaves together the stories of scientists, engineers, and soldiers who were part of the first wintering team, who were also the unlikely heroes, in the face of Antarctica’s relentless hostility. The Dakshin Gangotri team consisted of 83 members. Among the 16 scientists were two women, an unspecified number of military personnel from the Army, Navy, and Air Force, and 28 officers personnel of the chartered ship MS Finnpolaris.
Dr Harsh Gupta
Dr Harsh Gupta was the leader of the Third Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica, which took place from December 3, 1983, to March 29, 1984. This expedition had a total of 83 members and traveled on the ship M.S. Finnpolaris.
The main objective of the expedition was to set up a permanent station in Antarctica to sustain scientific work during the winter months. The expedition was successful in setting up the station and named it “Dakshin Gangotri”.
The construction of the station was a major responsibility of the Indian Army Engineers. The expedition also included scientists from various government departments, research institutes, and universities who carried out studies in several scientific disciplines
Maj Pawan Nair
Leader of the construction team, Nair played a pivotal role in establishing India’s first Antarctic base. Initially involved in the preparations for the 1982 Asian Games, Nair was unexpectedly selected for the second Antarctic mission in 1982 after Major Jai Bahuguna, the original choice, had to withdraw due to a motorcycle accident.
Nair’s leadership in the third mission was tasked with leading the army team responsible for constructing the station. Additionally, Nair was instrumental in selecting Lt Col Hem Lohumi for the construction team, ensuring the project’s success.
Dr LS Rathore
A meteorologist who served on the mission. He was motivated to join the expedition due to his upbringing in the desert region of Rajasthan and his interest in understanding the extreme climates of Antarctica and their impact on the Indian monsoon. Rathore’s work involved setting up a permanent meteorological station and launching radio-sondes and omega-sondes.
Dr Aditi Pant
She led oceanographic studies, focusing on the Southern Ocean. Her research examined marine productivity, studied krill populations and their distribution patterns, and analyzed key chemical properties of ocean waters. Her expertise with the National Institute of Oceanography was crucial for understanding these marine ecosystems.
Dr Sudipta Sengupta
She conducted comprehensive geological field studies in the Schirmacher range of Antarctica. Her work involved detailed geological mapping of the area, collecting rock and mineral samples for analysis, and carrying out magnetic surveys to understand the region’s geological structure. Her background in geological sciences enabled her to document and analyze the unique geological formations of this Antarctic region.
Lt Col SS Sharma
He was the team leader of the first wintering team. He maintained a diary during his time at Dakshin Gangotri and demonstrated leadership in ensuring the safety and discipline of the team. A decisive leader, he guided his team through blizzards, equipment failures, and the psychological strain of isolation.
His efforts in organizing the recovery of fuel barrels from snowdrifts, a critical task for the station’s survival was noteworthy. Sharma also emphasized vigilance, calmness, and resilience in the face of adversity, instilling a sense of purpose and camaraderie within the team.
Dakshin Gangotri Construction: An extraordinary feat
Colonel Pawan Nair was the leader of the construction team for the Dakshin Gangotri base. He was initially selected as a reserve for the second mission but ended up going when the chosen officer was injured in a motorcycle accident. The second mission sailed in 1982-83. Nair did not know he would be part of the third mission.
One of the officers who was selected was Major Jai Bahuguna. He got injured in a motorcycle accident, and had to drop out on medical grounds. Sometime in February or March 1983, Nair was told to go to Delhi to prepare to leave for England in a few days. He learned then that he had been selected to lead the army team for the construction of the station.
The British Antarctic Survey gave the Indian team only a 15% chance of successfully building the base. The British themselves had not completed a base in a single summer season, which was the Indian team’s goal. The Indian team was the first to construct a base in Antarctica in one summer season, which was a record.
The Helicopter Incident and PM Indira Gandhi’s Call: A High-Stakes Moment
Scientists interviewed in the podcast recall a dramatic incident during the construction of Dakshin Gangotri that led to a direct call from the then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. While the details of the incident itself are not fully elaborated upon in the podcast, Dr Harsh Gupta, the leader of the third Antarctic mission, mentions that some team members fell into the icy waters, risking hypothermia owing to a helicopter accident.
Newspaper sources reveal that the helicopter had failed to gain adequate altitude while lifting a load, leading to entanglement with the ship’s railing. As a result, the rotor blades struck the crane of the ship, causing the helicopter to crash into the icy waters below. Five crew members were aboard the helicopter when it overturned and began sinking. The mission’s doctors worked diligently to save them, and thankfully, their efforts proved successful.
The gravity of the situation is underscored by the Prime Minister’s personal involvement. PM Indira Gandhi called Dr Gupta to inquire about the team’s well-being, asking, “Harsh, is everyone safe?”. After receiving confirmation of the team’s safety, the Prime Minister posed a crucial question: “Can you still do it?” To this Dr Gupta said, “If I don’t do it, I don’t come back.”
Reading letters & Eating vegetables
After a year in Antarctica, the first wintering team at Dakshin Gangotri was relieved by the fourth mission, which arrived by helicopter. Colonel Sathya Sharma, the station commander, recalls the anticipation on December 28, 1984: “The day the wintering team was waiting for had finally arrived. For the first time, there had been an Indian presence in Antarctica for a whole year.”
The team, isolated for 10 months, eagerly awaited new faces. As the helicopter landed and its engines turned off, there was a moment of silence before Professor B Bhattacharya and his team emerged, marking the end of the Third Indian Antarctic Expedition.
Captain Paramjit Singh described the joy of seeing the new station commander: “He had brought…the first bag was full of letters, only letters, and the second bag was full of vegetables. So we hugged him and all and we took him inside, we were very happy. We cooked fresh vegetables. Some people started eating fresh vegetables. Others were more interested in going through letters and communications we had received. But it was a great experience and we were really very, very happy.”
Harsh Conditions
Building a research base in Antarctica required immense physical and mental strength. The teams had to work in freezing temperatures, battling blizzards and strong winds. The construction work itself was complex, involving specialized equipment and techniques to overcome the challenges of building on an ice shelf. One particularly striking anecdote is Colonel Sharma’s harrowing experience with a malfunctioning cold storage room, where a few moments of miscalculation could have turned fatal.
Teamwork, ultimately, became the bedrock of survival in this unforgiving environment. Those who volunteered to stay at Dakshin Gangotri for the winter faced extreme isolation and psychological challenges. The six months of darkness, limited communication with the outside world, and the constant threat of blizzards tested their resilience and mental abilities. A satellite communication terminal, commissioned on January 15, 1984, enabled the team to connect with their families back home.
Why This Story Matters
The Dakshin Gangotri mission was far more than a technical achievement; it was a statement of India’s scientific and geopolitical aspirations.
Establishing a base in Antarctica elevated India to the status of a consultative member of the Antarctic Treaty, giving it a voice in shaping the governance of the continent. The Treaty, established in 1959, aimed to ensure that Antarctica was used exclusively for peaceful purposes, primarily scientific research. India, by establishing a research base and demonstrating its commitment to scientific exploration, could participate in the international dialogue on Antarctica and contribute to its governance.
Dr Harsh Gupta, the leader of the third Antarctic mission, explains the importance of India’s presence in Antarctica in the podcast, “In 1980 we were keen to be a part of the global issues, and at that time, there were about 10-12 countries who had almost literally divided Antarctica.” He further elaborates that establishing a research station in Antarctica gave India a voice at the international level regarding decisions being made about Antarctica.
The question of Why Antarctica? was as intriguing then as it is now. Beneath its icy surface lies a trove of scientific insights—a natural laboratory for studying climate history, global weather patterns, and the survival of life in the most extreme conditions. Dr Gupta explains that India was particularly interested in long-term weather forecasting for the Indian subcontinent.
Dr Gupta says, “Antarctica totally controls the Indian Ocean weather, and the Indian Ocean controls the weather of the Indian subcontinent. So, for long term forecasts we need to know how the weather in Antarctica, how it is affects the weather of the Indian Ocean and how the Indian Ocean is affecting the weather of the Indian subcontinent.” The program covered a wide range of disciplines: Geology, glaciology, oceanography, atmospheric sciences, biology. The team was studying everything from the movement of tectonic plates to the behavior of penguins.
A Legacy Encased in Ice
Although Dakshin Gangotri is now buried beneath layers of ice, its legacy lives on through India’s subsequent research bases, Maitri and Bharati. The podcast captures this continuity, showing how lessons learned during that first mission informed the construction of more advanced stations and the refinement of operational strategies.But more than that, returning from their life-changing Antarctic journey, the team experienced a bittersweet mix of emotions.
They had undergone something extraordinary, shaping them profoundly and leaving them forever connected to Antarctica. Their humility stood out, as they consistently downplayed their own achievements and highlighted their teammates’ contributions, emphasizing the collective effort. They were driven by a shared purpose, a commitment to scientific discovery, and a deep respect for the environment.
In the end
India’s Greatest Journeys: Dakshin Gangotri is a gripping podcast that combines technical details, human stories, and a sweeping narrative arc. Its strength lies in its ability to connect listeners emotionally to the mission. Much like BBC’s ‘Thirteen Minutes to the Moon’, it reminds us that history is not made by machines or abstract ideas but by people—imperfect, determined, and deeply human. Dakshin Gangotri’s story, told with such care and intelligence, deserves to be celebrated as India’s courage and ambition on the icy edges of the world.
