The Department of Ocean  Development was set up on 24th July  1981, and within  six  months of    its   creation,   it organised the first scientific expedition to Antarctica, A 21-member  team,  drawn from  seven   different    institutions, with Dr. S.Z. Qasim as its leader left for Antarctica on 6th December from Goa and successfully landed on the frozen continent on 9th January  1982.   After a stay of  10 days on Antarctica, the expedition  returned to Goa. During the stay on Antarctica, as  also  during the  sea cruise,  substantial amount of scientific work was done on meteorology, glaciology, geomagnetism, geology,  biology,  radiowave propagation, pollution studies and also on physical, chemical, biological, geological and geophysical oceanography. A scientific station named "Dakshin Gangotri" was set up  at  Latitude  70°45' 12".963  South and Longitude  10°38' 13".618 East. An automatic weather  data recording  system powered  by  solar  batteries  was  installed and left behind at Dakshin  Gangotri.

Antarctica provides a unique and unpolluted environment  hitherto  untouched by man. It, therefore, gives an ideal situation (datum point) for monitoring pollution elsewhere in the world. Antarctica influences global climate, and more particularly, the climate of the southern hemisphere. Its study  would,  therefore, add considerably to our knowledge of factors influencing the monsoons on which the economy of the country is critically dependent. The ice sheet in Antarctica originated, perhaps, more than 50 million years ago, and has  continued since then completely undisturbed. It is  at  places over  3500  metres  thick  and  cover  more than 95% of  the  continent's  land  area. It is, therefore, an extremely well-preserved repository of all types of materials fallen on earth such as, the fragments of cosmic bodies, nuclear products of cosmic rays, samples of entraped air and minerals. A scientific study of this continent could help to decipher the ancient material found in the ice and will enable us to understand the global and cosmic phenomena that have been taking place over the past millenia.

Almost 90% of the world's ice is found on Antarctica. Therefore, it could provide a source of fresh water to many areas of world where water is scarce. The lines of forces in the earth's-magnetic field bend over the two poles. Hence, Antarctica provides an ideal location for observing interaction of the magnetic field and of charged particles from the sun. The waters around Antarctica are  amongst the richest biological provinces of earth. The key organism is "Krill"-a small shrimp like creature, rich in protein.  It is estimated that nearly 39 million tons, which is nearly half the total world fish catch in 1978, can be harvested annually without endangering the krill  stocks. The history of Antarctica itself is a subject of great interest for geologists and geophysicists.

Indian Posts & Telegraphs Department is privileged to issue a special stamp to commemorate the landing of the first Indian scientific team on Antarctica.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India