The First Indian to Winter over the South Pole: Reflections

The First Indian to Winter over the South Pole: Reflections


Dr. Parmjit Singh Sehra,
Professor of Meteorology,
Department of Agronomy and Agrometeorology,
Punjab Agricultural University (PAU),
Ludhiana – 141004, Punjab, India,
and also WMO/UN Expert &
NASA/USA Consultant.

Introduction:

This paper was presented in the Concluding Session of the National Seminar on “India in the Antarctic: Challenge and Opportunities in the 21st Century” at Chandigarh, from 3rd to 4th February 2003, which was jointly organised by the Department of Political Science, Panjab University, Chandigarh, and the National Centre for Antarctic & Ocean Research (NCAOR), Goa, of the Department of Ocean Development (DOD), Government of India. This Session was chaired by the author who was also presented a Memento at the end of his key note Antarctic lecture and for being the first Indian ever to winter over the South Pole and circumnavigate and explore the Antarctic continent during his participation in the 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition from 1971 to 1973.
India became involved in scientific research in Antarctica as the result of an agreement with the Soviet Union (USSR) for joint meteorological exploration of the upper atmosphere from Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS), Trivandrum, India, and Soviet Antarctic station Molodezhnaya, Antarctica. Under this agreement an Indian scientist, Dr. Parmjit Singh Sehra, the author, participated in the 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition from 1971 to 1973 and became the first Indian ever to winter over the South Pole and circumnavigate and explore the Antarctic continent.
Since the Indian Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and the Soviet Hydrometeorological Service (HMS) signed the joint Indo-Soviet Agreement in 1970, there have been regular weekly soundings with M-100 meteorological rockets from the main Soviet station Molodezhnaya in Antarctica and Thumba in India. Dr Parmjit Singh Sehra was then working as a research scientist at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad, India, when he was sent to the Antarctic continent by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for its exploration.
Dr. Parmjit Singh Sehra spent more than 18 months in the Antarctic and participated in the M-100 meteorological rocket soundings of the upper atmosphere at Molodezhnaya in Antarctica. He also visited all the other Soviet Antarctic stations, viz., Bellingshausen, Mirny, Vostok, Novolozarevskaya, and also located the sight of a new Soviet station Russkaya on the shore of the Amundsen sea in Antarctica. From Mirny to Vostok is a distance of about 1500 km in the interior of the Antarctic continent which was covered by Dr. Sehra and his Soviet team in about two months time by using the tractor-driven sledges including dog sledges which was an extremely difficult, harsh, and thrilling experience full of daring adventures. Dr. Sehra also visited the New Zealand station Scott Base as well as the American Antarctic stations Mc Murdo Sound, and the Amundsen Scott South Pole station located at the geographic South Pole under joint exchange scientist programme while he was in the Antarctic during the period 1971 to 1973. For his active participation in the 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition from 1971 to 1973 in which he earned the unique historical distinction of being the first Indian ever to winter over the South Pole and circumnavigate and explore the Antarctic continent, Dr. Parmjit Singh Sehra was awarded the prestigious Soviet Antarctic Medal, Ribbon and Polar Watch by the earstwhile USSR, and the New Zealand Antarctic Society also honoured him.
While Dr. Parmjit Singh Sehra was in the Antarctic, sixty M-100 meteorological rockets were launched from Molodezhnaya, Antarctica. Sixteen of these M-100 rockets carried an additional wind sensor “chaff” for determining the mesospheric winds. Most of the rocket flights were successful with the M-100 rocket carrying a payload of 66.65 kg up to an altitude of about 95 km, the rocket being 8.906 metres in length and 0.25 cm in diameter, and 480 kg in weight, propelled by a solid nitrocellulose base, and the average rocket apogee reached was 86.95 km. This was the first meteorological study of the upper atmospheric winds and temperatures ever made in Antarctica.
The “chaff” used in this study was of cylindrical aluminium coated glass fibres which was carried in a special container and ejected at rocket apogee. A high sensitivity Meteor-2 radar checked the descending chaff cloud, and Meteor-1 radar checked the descending parachute, and the data on the drift of the descending chaff and parachute trajectory were used to measure the wind speed and direction in the mesospheric (about 50-80 km), stratospheric (about 20-50 km), and tropospheric (surface-about 20 km) regions. The payload also contained 4 variable resistance thermometers with 40 micron tungsten-rhenium wire for the measurement of atmospheric temperatures up to the mesospheric region.
The detailed results of this first ever investigation of the Antarctic upper atmosphere using M-100 meteorological rockets indicate that the most active period in south polar regions is the winter and the early spring which is marked by large disruptions in both the wind and thermal structures. The rapid shifts in both zonal and meridional components of the upper atmospheric winds, particularly during the winter period May to July, are accompanied by sudden changes in the temperature distribution of the upper atmosphere. These detailed results are published in several international scientific journals of repute such as the Antarctic, Nature, Journal of Geophysical Research, Geophysical Research Letters, Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan, Astrophysics and Space Science, Archives for Meteorology, Geophysics and Bioclimatology, Handbook for the Middle Atmosphere Programme (MAP), AMS Conference Volumes, etc., in addition to many Indian scientific journals, viz., Indian Journal of Radio & Space Physics, Mausam - Quarterly Journals of Meteorology, Hydrology and Geophysics, Indian Mountaineer - Journal of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, etc.
Dr. Sehra’s Antarctic exploration created tremendous interest in India for further exploration of Antarctica. Many of his articles featured in several national and international journals, periodicals, magazines, and newspapers with TV and Radio Interviews with his Proposals for launching Indian Antarctic Expeditions and opening some permanent Indian Research Bases in Antarctica. Some popular science articles on his Antarctic exploration and his ambitious Antarctic proposals for launching Indian Antarctic Expeditions and opening some Indian Research Bases in Antarctica were, for example, published by the Spokesman Weekly, Dharamayug - An Illustrated Hindi Weekly, Prajamata - An Illustrated Kannada Weekly, etc., and also by The Times of India, The Indian Express, The Tribune, The Statesman, The Hindu, The Spotlight, etc., just to name a few, and they appeared in several Indian and foreign languages all over the world.
Dr. Sehra was then working at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad, India, when he went to the South Pole for Antarctic exploration as the first and the only member from India for participation in the 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition from 1971 to 1973. He worked as Project Scientist for upper atmospheric meteorological soundings over the South Pole in Antarctica with M-100 meteorological rockets at the Soviet Antarctic station Molodezhnaya, in particular. He brought lot of meteorological data from Antarctica, analysed it, and carried out its extensive research at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) and Space Applications Centre (SAC), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Ahmedabad, India. Based upon this research, he wrote his Ph. D. thesis entitled “Atmospheric Structure: Exploration over Antarctica and Interhemispheric Comparison” for which he was awarded Ph. D. degree in Science by the Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, India in 1977. This was the first Ph. D. work on Antarctica ever done in India by an Indian scientist, and also the first study of the upper atmospheric wind and thermal structure ever made in Antarctica all over the world.
In his Ph. D. research which is the first study on Antarctica ever made in India as discussed in his Ph. D. thesis “Atmospheric Structure: Exploration over Antarctica and Interhemispheric Comparison”, Dr. Sehra has found out that the winter time stratospheric warmings and coolings over Antarctica may be caused both by an increase in the supply of energy in the form of a vertical flux of geopotential energy consisting of very long waves and by radioactive and photochemical processes taking place in the upper atmosphere. During September when the winter westerlies change to the summer easterlies, the upper atmosphere is again disrupted with a warming of 39oC at 40 km which is attributed to the increase in available heat brought about by the return of sunlight. It is thus concluded that sizable perturbations may occur in the upper atmosphere over Antarctica in the winter regime.
Dr. Parmjit Singh Sehra is thus not only the first Indian ever to winter over the South Pole and circumnavigate and explore the Antarctic continent during his participation in the 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition from 1971 to 1973 for which he has been awarded the prestigious Soviet Antarctic Medal, Ribbon and Polar Watch, he is also the first Indian scientist to write a Ph. D. thesis on Antarctica entitled “Atmospheric Structure: Exploration over Antarctica and Interhemispheric Comparison” for which he was awarded Ph. D. degree in Science by the Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, India in 1977 when he was working as a research scientist at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) and Space Applications Centre (SAC), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Ahemdabad, India. Dr. Sehra is also the first person in Enderby Land in the Antarctic continent to join the New Zealand Antarctic Society from Antarctica itself during his participation in the 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition from 1971 to 1973 for which he was also honoured by the New Zealand Antarctic Society.


First to propose to India to land in Antarctica and
The Pioneer of the Indian Antarctic Research Programme :

Communication to and from Antarctica was extremely difficult when Dr. Parmjit Singh Sehra was participating in the 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition during 1971 to 1973. Dr. Sehra, therefore, requested the Indian Embassy in Moscow to help him in this regard. His father & mother (parents), S. Mohinder Singh Sehra & Smt. Satwinder Kaur, also requested the Indian Embassy in Moscow to help them in getting in touch with their son, the author, in Antarctica from India. The Indian Embassy, Moscow, contacted the organisers of the 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition, 1971-1973, and agreed to convey our short messages between India and Antarctica vide their telegraphic message to Dr. P.S. Sehra dated 24/07/1972, and letter No. MOS (Edn) /327/3/69-70 dated 18th August 1972 to Dr. Sehra’s father Sh. Mohinder Singh Sehra in India. Thus began our exchange of communication between Antarctica and India after a long period of isolation.
Dr. Sehra availed himself of this opportunity and sent a congratulatory message to Mrs. Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, on the auspicious occassion of the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of the Indian Independence Day (15th August 1972) proposing for the first time that India should also launch Indian Antarctic Expeditions and open some permanent Indian Research Bases in Antarctica. These correspondences are given below in short:


1. Message from the Indian Embassy, Moscow:

To: Dr. Parmjit Singh Sehra, 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition, Molodezhnaya,
Antarctica:
Refer your radio message dated 21st and 23rd July 1972. Official messages will be transmitted as requested. Our telephone number is 2278330.
Indian Embassy, Moscow.

2. Letter to Dr. Sehra’s father from Indian Embassy, Moscow:

No.MOS (Edn)/327/3/69-70 18th August 1972

To: Shri Mohinder Singh Sehra,
Postmaster, Phillaur, District Jalandhar, Punjab, India

Dear Shri Sehra,

Kindly refer to your letter addressed to the Ambassador sending a message to your son in Antarctica. We have talked to the organisers of the 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition and they have taken the message from us for sending it to your son in Antarctica. We have also requested the organisers to give us any message which your son Dr.Parmjit Singh Sehra might have sent for transmission to you or anywhere else in India.

With best wishes and kind regards,
Yours Sincerely
(Dr.D.C.Biswas)
Scientific Attache
Embassy of India,Moscow.

3. Congratulatory Message and Proposal to India for launching Indian Antarctic Expeditions and opening some permanent Indian Research Bases in Antarctica:

Official Radiogram transmitted on 10th August 1972:
Most urgent Message:

To: The Indian Embassy (Indembassy), Moscow:

Kindly transmit the following radio message to the Prime Minister of India with separate copies to:
• The Scientific Advisor to the Prime Minister of India,
• All India Radio/Doordarshan, New Delhi,
• The Editors of all the leading Indian newspapers including The Times of India, New Delhi,

so as to reach them before 15th August 1972 with its copy for you as well. Please signal its acknowledgement and transmission accordingly.

The message begins:

Heartiest congratulations to all the patriotic citizens on the magnificent 25th Anniversary of our Indian Independence Day. Heartfelt homages to all the brave and victorious patriots whose great sacrifices earned us sovereign freedom. Those heroes shall remain immortal. In their memory and to honour them, every Indian will appreciate if India lands on the South Polar Ice-Cap in the near future and establishes some permanent Indian Research Bases in Antarctica glorifying our historical Indian Independence Day Silver Jubilee Celebrations.
For this purpose, to begin with, among the other member nations, India should also join the Antarctic Treaty. I hope that this auspicious Day will launch the following:
1. ARPI - Antarctic Research Programme of India,
2. INSCAR - Indian National Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research,
3. ICE - Indian Interstate Council of Circumpolar Explorations and Expeditions,
which all combined with logistic support by the Services (Indian Navy, Indian Air Force and Indian Army) will cultivate productive scientific research in Antarctica.

That Day is awaited when India reaches Antarctica, the 7th Continent of the world realising the above wish and dream of every Indian Citizen. May India always progress and prosper day and night evermore with many many achievements in all spheres, and happy returns. India has always stood for peace and harmonious relations between all the nations of the world. May Indian policies always succeed in upholding the world peace.
Long live our peaceful “Tiranga” and Long live our “Bharat Mata.”

From: Dr Parmjit Singh Sehra,
First Indian wintering in Antarctica,
Member, 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition, 1971-1973,
Station Molodezhnaya, Antarctica.


The Message ends.



Lok Sabha (Indian Parliament) Unstarred Question No. 8177 Answered by the Prime Minister of India on 25th April 1973:

After his return to India from Antarctica, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, made the following Statement in Lok Sabha (Indian Parliament) under Unstarred Question No. 8177:

Sehra was 1st Indian Scientist to visit Antarctica:

New Delhi, April 25, 1973 (PTI):

The Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, told the Lok Sabha today that on the basis of information available to the Department of Space, Mr. Parmjit Singh Sehra was the First Indian Scientist to have visited Antarctica. She told Mr. Indrajit Gupta in a written answer that Mr. Sehra, a Research Scientist at the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, had accompanied a Soviet scientific Expedition to Antarctica during 1971 to 1973. Mrs. Gandhi said, Mr. Sehra who returned to India in 1973 was engaged in research work in upper atmosphere physics for which he was utilising the data collected during the 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition from 1971 to 1973. The question of any recognition could arise only after the research work was completed.

(From The Tribune, Thursday, April 26, 1973).


Earlier Involvement of India in Antarctic Research:

The involvement of India in Antarctic research thus dates back to 1971-1973 when Dr. Parmjit Singh Sehra actually worked in Antarctica with the 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition from 1971 to 1973 as the first Indian scientist, wintered over the South Pole, circumnavigated the whole Antarctic continent, and completed explored it. He earned his Ph. D. degree in Science from the Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, India, in 1977 based upon his pioneering Antarctic research work presented in his Ph. D. thesis entitled “Atmospheric Structure : Exploration over Antarctica and Interhemispheric Comparison” which is the first Ph. D. thesis on Antarctica ever written by an Indian scientist and which is also the first study of the upper atmospheric wind and thermal structure ever made in Antarctica from all over the world. This work has also been published in many reputed international scientific journals such as Nature, Antarctic, Journal of Geophysical Research, Geophysical Research Letters, Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan, Indian Journal of Radio & Space Physics, Mausam - Quarterly Journal of Meteorology, Hydrology and Geophysics, Astrophysics and Space Science, Archives for Meteorology, Hydrology and Bioclimatology, Handbook for MAP, and AMS Conference Volumes, etc., in addition to many TV & Radio Interviews and feature articles in many national and international reputed journals, magazines, periodicals, and newspapers, etc.

Laying the Foundation of the Indian Antarctic Research Programme:

The above work actually laid the foundation for the Indian Antarctic Research Programme, a Project which was, indeed, pushed forward by almost a decade’s correspondence by Dr. Sehra’s father Sh. Mohinder Singh Sehra (Retired Postmaster, Village & P.O. Bhana, Via Dasuya-144205, District Hoshiarpur, Punjab, India, Phone: 00-91-(0) 1886-260212), with Mrs. Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, and with the Office of the President of India, since 1971. Some of these letters were marketed as secret to the Prime Minister’s and the President’s Offices by Dr. Sehra’s father showing national importance for launching Indian Antarctic Expeditions and opening some permanent Indian Research Bases in Antarctica. All these letters were kept secret due to which their acknowledgement was seldom received.
In this context, Letter No. F.22 (3/73) PMP dated 2nd April 1973, and Letter No. PMS 8737 dated 6th June 1975 from the Prime Minister’s Office to Dr. Sehra’s father Sh. Mohinder Singh Sehra, and Letter No. F.23-HA/74 dated 29th May 1974 and letter No. F.23-HA/75 dated 30th May 1975 from the Office of the Presdient of India to Dr. Sehra’s father may be quoted here for the sake of reference:

(i) Prime Minister’s Secretariat,
New Delhi.

No. F. 22 (3/73) PMP 2nd April 1973

To : Shri M.S. Sehra,
Postmaster,
Phillaur, District Jalandhar, Punjab, India.

Dear Sir,

I am desired to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated 14th March 1973 addressed to the Prime Minister.

Yours sincerely
(N.S. Sreeraman)
(Private Secretary to the Prime Minister)



(ii) Prime Minister’s Secretariat,
New Delhi.

No. PMS-8737 6th June 1975

To : Shri M.S. Sehra,
Postmaster,
Chandigarh – 160017.

Dear Sir,

I am directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 1st June 1975 addressed to the Prime Minuster.

Yours sincerely
(N.S. Sreeraman)
(Private Secretary to the Prime Minister)

(iii) President’s Secretariat (Rashtapatic Bhavan),
New Delhi.

No.F.23-HA/74 May 29, 1974

To : Shri M.S. Sehra,
Postmaster,
Chandigarh – 160017.

Dear Sir,

I am directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated 28th April 1974 to the President.

Yours sincerely
(K.R. Gupta)
(Deputy Secretary to the President)







(iv) President’s Secretariat (Rashtapatic Bhavan),
New Delhi.

No. F.23-HA/75 May 30, 1975

To : Shri M.S. Sehra,
Postmaster,
Chandigarh – 160017.

Dear Shri Sehra,

I am directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated 25th May 1975 with which you have enclosed a copy of the paper entitled “Upper Mesospheric Wind Structure in Antarctica” by your son Shri Parmjit Singh Sehra.

Yours sincerely
(S.Nilakantan)
(Deputy Secretary to the President)

An Open Letter to the Nation Proposing to Launch Indian Antarctic Expeditions and Open Some Indian Research Bases in Antarctica:

While participating in the 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition during 1971 to 1973, Dr. Parmjit Singh Sehra wrote an Open Letter to the nation proposing to launch Indian Antarctic Expeditions and open some permanent Indian Research Bases in Antarctica which was published by all the leading newspapers in India and abroad and was also broadcast and telecast by the All India Radio and Doordarshan, etc. After his return from Antarctica, it was also published in several other journals, magazines, and periodicals both in India and abroad.

Reference may be given of the Spokesman Weekly, New Delhi, India, 27th Annual Number, pp. 93-95, 1978, in which it appeared under the following title:

Antarctica - Enigmatic Continent: Need to Open an Indian Base:

“Dr. Parmjit Singh Sehra was the first and the only Indian so for to have spent more than one and a half years in Antarctica along with the 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition from 1971 to 1973. In this article he has not only given general information about this enigmatic continent but has also proposed the launching of Indian Antarctic Expeditions and opening of some permanent Indian Research bases in Antarctica , if only to put the Indian science on the world map.”
“………………..The Antarctic Research Programme of India (ARPI) may be one of the most useful programmes and projects which we may think of undertaking in the near future.Such a big scientific programme,obviously,cannot be run without the Government’s approval because the scientific harvest which the ARPI would yield needs several lakhs of Rupees for its yearly expenditure which only the Government of India can finance. Such a programme (ARPI) may be funded by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) or some sort of new Government body which may be the Indian Interstate Council of Circumpolar Explorations and Expeditions (ICE). For administrative purposes, the ICE may be attached to the Ministry of External Affairs or to the Ministry of Science and Technology, etc. The prime product of the ARPI would be the scientific knowledge with many other advantages such as putting Indian science on the world map of Antarctica with the possibility of future mineral resources, oil resources, sea food resource, and so on……………….”
(From The Spokesman Weekly, New Delhi, India, pp 93-95, 27th Annual Number, 1978).

A Unique Historical Distinction

Dr. Parmjit Singh Sehra’s participation in the 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition from 1971 to 1973 thus led him to the unique historical distinction of being the first Indian ever to winter over the South Pole and circumnavigate and explore the Antarctic continent for which he has been awarded the prestigious Soviet Antarctic Medal, Ribbon, and Polar Watch by the erstwhile USSR. His Antarctic Expedition and Proposals and his pioneering scientific work in Antarctica published in several reputed international scientific journals and also described in his Ph.D. thesis entitled “Atmospheric Structure: Exploration over Antarctica and Interhemispheric Comparison” for which he was awarded the Ph.D. degree in Science by the Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, India in 1977, and his parents follow-up action sparked lot of interest in India for further exploration of Antarctica including the launching of Indian Antarctic Expeditions since 1981-1982 and opening of some permanent Indian Research Bases in Antarctica such as “Dakshin Gangotri” and “Maitri” since then.
The credit thus goes to Dr. Sehra as the Pioneer of the Indian Antarctic Research Programme even before regular Indian Antarctic Expeditions were launched since 1981-1982, because he is the one who laid the entire foundation for the Indian Antarctic Research Programme dating back to 1971-1973,and consequently, India opened permanent Research Bases in Antarctica since 1981-1982.Dr. Sehra’s name thus goes deep into the Indian and the world history as the first Indian ever to winter over the South Pole and circumnavigate and explore the Antarctic continent and the Pioneer of the Indian Antarctic Research Programme as he followed his Antarctic dream to reality.



High on Achievements and Academics

Dr. Sehra did his Higher Secondary from the Khalsa Higher Secondary School, Garhdiwala, District Hoshiarpur, Punjab,India, in 1964 , and B.Sc. degree from the D.A.V. College, Jalandhar, Punjab, in 1967, both from the Panjab University. He did his M.Sc. degree in Physics from the University of Allahabad in 1969, and Ph.D.degree in Science from the Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, India,in 1977.He also won Merit Scholarship, National Scholarship,and National Science Talent Search Scholarship,with high ranks and top positions in the Universities and throughout first class academic career and many distinctions.
He was born on 10th March 1947 in a small village Bhana near Dasuya, District Hoshiarpur in Punjab, India. His parents, father Shri. Mohinder Singh Sehra, Retired Postmaster, and mother Smt. Satwinder Kaur, former Sarpanch of their village Bhana in Punjab,India cultivated a keen interest in him for scientific adventures and exploratory work which ultimately took him to the South Pole at the risk of his life.The whole credit thus goes to Dr. Sehra and his parents for the launching of the Indian Antarctic Expeditions and opening some permanent Indian Research Bases in Antarctica following Dr. Sehra’s active participation in the 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition from 1971 to 1973 and his pioneering scientific work in Antarctica.
After doing his Ph. D., Dr. Sehra worked at a number of places all over the world. From 1969 to 1974 he was Research Scientist at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), and from 1974 to 1982 he was Senior Scientist at the Space Applications Centre (SAC), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), in Ahmedabad, India. From 1982 to 1991, he worked as Professor of Meteorology at the Al-Fateh University in Tripoli, Libya,and from 1991-1994 and onwards he worked as a WMO/UN Expert in the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a specialized Agency of the United Nations Organization (UNO) in Geneva, Switzerland. In addition to this, he also worked as a Consultant at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), New York, USA from 1978-1979, and as a Research Scientist at the Academy of Athens in Greece during 1979-1980, and also as Visiting Scientist at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy from 1980-1981.
He has been elected as a Member of the American Meteorological Society (AMS), Boston, Massachusetts, USA in 1990, and as a Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society (F.R. Met.S.), Reading, Berkshire, U.K., in 1991, and also as a Member of the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS), Ottawa, Canada, in 1999.
At present, Dr. Sehra is working as a Professor of Agrometeorology and Incharge, Weather Forecasting Section in the Department of Agronomy and Agrometeorology at the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana in Punjab, India, where he is engaged in teaching and research in meteorology and agrometeorology at the postgraduate and Ph. D. levels. Dr. Sehra has a very vast experience in this filed having worked at different places in all the seven continents of the world including his Antarctic exploration and daring scientific adventures at the South Pole in Antarctica.

Dream Come True

To sum up, in this article, the author has given a brief account of some of his daring Adventures while participating in the 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition and while wintering over the South Pole and circumnavigating and exploring the Antarctic continent as the first Indian ever to do so in the Indian history, and also briefly describes some of the scientific work done by him as Project Scientist in the 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition from 1971 to 1973. It is presented in the from of a few papers reprinted from some reputed scientific journals and other sources as such just as an example while their details are given in the author’s various References and other documents included in this article.
The author has also given in this article some historical background material about how India actually got involved in Antarctic research and started sending regular Indian Antarctic Expeditions and established permanent Indian Research Bases in Antarctica since 1981-1982 following Dr. Sehra’s pioneering Antarctic explorations, Antarctic research, and Antarctic proposals, etc. It was, actually, Dr. Sehra’s active participation in the 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition during the period 1971 to 1973 which really sparked lot of interest in India for further exploration of Antarctica including launching of regular Indian Antarctic Expeditions and opening of permanent Indian Research Bases in Antarctica such as “Dakshin Gangotri” and “Maitri”, and finally the establishment of a new research institution, viz., National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR) at Goa, India, under the Department of Ocean Development (DOD) of the Government of India, with Dr. Prem Chand Pandey as its founder Director which , indeed, made Dr. Sehra’s Antarctic Dream Come True.
The author of this article, Dr. Parmjit Singh Sehra, has already been awarded the prestigious Soviet Antarctic Medal, Ribbon, and Polar Watch for his active participation in the 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition from 1971 to 1973 by the erstwhile USSR. It is hoped that the Government of India will now also suitably award Dr. Sehra for his pioneering Antarctic exploration, scientific research, and Antarctic proposals, etc., and honour its commitment earlier made by it in the Lok Sabha (Indian Parliament) under its Unstarred Question No. 8177 on 25th April 1973.
This article also includes some of Dr. Sehra’s important Antarctic and other References.



LIST OF PUBLICATIONS

1. Indian Scientist (Dr. Parmjit Singh Sehra) worked at Soviet Antarctic Station, Antarctic, (Editor J.M. Caffin), published quarterly by the New Zealand Antarctic Society, Vol. 7, No. 7, pp. 224-225, September 1975.
2. Sehra, P.S., Upper mesospheric wind structure in Antarctica, Nature, Vol. 252, No. 5485, pp. 683-686, December 20/27, 1974.
3. Sehra, P.S., Upper atmospheric thermal structure in Antarctica, Nature, Vol. 254, No. 5499, pp. 401-404, April 3, 1975. Sehra, P.S., Atmospheric Structure : Exploration over Antarctica & Equatorial Comparison, Indian Journal of Radio & Space Physics, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 66-74, March 1976.
4. Sehra, P.S., Structure of the Atmosphere over South Polar and Equatorial Regions, Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan, Vol. 54, No. 2, pp.105-117, April 28, 1976.
5. Sehra, P.S., Atmospheric Structure over Antarctica and Equatorial India in Southern Summer, Indian Journal of Meteorology, Hydrology and Geophysics, Vol. 27, No. 3, pp. 241-252, July 1976.
6. Sehra, P.S., Antarctic Atmosphere: Temperature Exploration and Seasonal Variations, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 81, No. 21, pp 3715 - 3718, July 20, 1976.
7. Sehra, P.S., Atmospheric Structure : Exploration over Antarctica and Interhemispheric Comparison, Ph.D. Thesis, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad-380009, India, (Gujarat University), pp.1-285, October 1976.
8. Sehra, P.S., Atmospheric Circulation : Exploration over Antarctica and Seasonal Variations, Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 3, No. 11, pp. 669-672, November 1976.
9. Sehra, P.S., First Indian at the South Pole, Indian Mountaineer - Journal of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, No. 2, pp. 79-86, Autumn 1978.
10. Sehra, P.S., Antarctica - Enigmatic Continent, Need to open an Indian Base, The Spokesman Weekly-An International Journal published in New Delhi, India, 27th Annual Number, pp. 93-95, 1978.
11 Sehra, P.S., Exploration of Antaractica, Indian Mountaineer - Journal of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, No. 3, pp. 57-61, Spring 1979.
12. Sehra, P.S., Tropospheric, Stratospheric & Mesospheric Winds over Antarctica, Indian Journal of Radio & Space Physics, Vol. 8, pp. 160-167, August 1979.
13. Sehra, P.S., Stratospheric Circulation over Antarctica, Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan, Vol. 54, No. 4, pp.332-340, August 1979.
14. Sehra, P.S., et al., Influence of Solar Proton Event on Upper Stratospheric Temperatures, Praktika - Proceedings of the Academy of Athens, Greece, Vol. 5, pp. 362-371, 1980.
15. Sehra, P.S., Seminars : 1. Upper Atmosphere as seen from the South Pole, and 2. South Pole Odyssey as I look back, given at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste, Italy, during the Autumn Course on Physics of flow in the Oceans, Atmosphere and Deserts, SMR/74-40, ICTP, pp. 1-22, September-November 1980.
16. Sehra, P.S., et al., Rocketsonde-derived Stratospheric Temperature Changes associated with a major Solar Cosmic Ray Event, Astrophysics and Space Science, Vol. 74, No.2, pp. 475-480, February 1981.
17. Sehra, P.S., & Hariharn, T.A., Interhemispheric Comparison of Atmospheric Structure, Middle, Atmosphere Program (MAP) - Handbook for MAP, (Editor S.K. Avery), Published by the University of Illinois, USA, Vol.2, pp. 51-60, June 1981.
18. Sehra, P.S., Sharif, T.A., & Nashnosh, A.Y., Sudden Mesospheric Warming over Euatorial Region, Archives for Meteorology, Geophysics and Bioclimatology, Series A, Vol. 33, No.4, pp. 289-296, March 1985.
19. Sehra, P.S., Sharif, T.A., & Nashnosh, A.Y., Interactions between the upper tropospheric and stratospheric region and summer monsoon as revealed by satellite observations, Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan, Vol. 64, No. 3, pp. 443-447, June 1986.
20. Sehra, P.S., et al., Some Experimental Studies on Precipitation Enhancement by using Silver Iodide (Agi) Nuclei, Published in the Preprint Volume of the AMS Conference on Cloud Physics held in San Francisco, California, USA, from 23-27 July 1990. The Conference was organised by the American Meteorological Society (AMS), USA. The paper consists of 8 printed pages in the Preprint Volume of the AMS Conference on Cloud Physics, 1990.
21. Sehra, P.S., Stratospheric Temperature and Ozone Variations over Tropical Region during 1979 Summer Monsoon from TIROS-N Satellite, Presented at the American Meteorological Society's 19th Conference in Miami, Florida, USA; (Published by the American Meteorological Society in its Preprint Volume pages 502-507, 1991.
22. Sehra, P.S., Hazardous Pollution Problem over Ludhiana, Punjab, India,
Presented at the Third International Conference on Urban Air Quality-Measurement, Modelling and Management, Loutarki, Greece 19-23 March 2001.
23. Sehra,P.S., A Visit to South Pole & Explore the Antarctic Continent : Daring
Adventures of the First Indian ever to Winter over the South Pole and Circumnavigate and Explore the Antarctic Continent, H.K.T. Publications, P.O.Box 123, Chandigarh – 160017, India, 2003.
and so on……………….

LIST OF SOME POPULAR SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBUTIONS

1. Soviet TV Documentary and Radio Programme, The Government of USSR made a special TV Documentary and a ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬Radio Programme highlighting the Indian Scientist Dr. Parmjit Singh Sehra's participation in the 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition to the South Pole during 1971-1973. These special scientific programmes were telecast from Moscow which also appeared in all the leading newspapers of the world.
2. Indian Scientist at Base in Enderby Land,
Antarctic - A News Bulletin published quarterly by the New Zealand Antarctic Society from Wellington and Christchurch, New Zealand, Vol. 6, No. 8, p. 292, December 1972.
3. Sehra was 1st Indian Scientist to visit Antarctica, The Tribune, National daily published from Chandigarh, India, by the Trustees of the Triubune, April 26, 1973. The Prime Minister of India made a written statement in the Parliament in New Delhi that Dr. Parmjit Singh Sehra was the first Indian Scientist ever to visit Antarctica and to winter over the South Pole. These news also appeared in all the leading newspapers in India and abroad.
4. Sehra, P.S., A Perilous Tryst with the Antarctic Blizzards and Crevasses, PRL Souvenir, published by the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), at its Silver Jubilee Celebrations, Ahmedabad, India, 1973.
5. Sehra, P.S., Antarctica - An International Laboratory for Science, An Invited Lecture delivered at the Physical Research Laboratory, (PRL), Ahmedabad, India, during its Silver Jubilee Celebrations, 1973.
6. Sehra, P.S., My Sientific Adventures at the South Pole, An Invited Paper presented at the Symposium on Space Science at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Trivandrum-22, India, 1973.
7. Sehra, P.S., ISRO Explores Antarctica, A Report giving a brief account of the scientific work done by the Indian Scientist Dr. Parmjit Singh Sehra during his participation in the 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition from 1971-1973 published by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and presented at the joint ISRO/USSR Space Exploration Exhibition held at Bangalore and Bombay, India, 1974. Sehra, P.S., India in the Icy Deserts, The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Government of India, made this Special TV Documentary highlighting the Indian Scientist Dr. Parmjit Singh Sehra's scientific work at the South Pole during 1971-1973. It was telecast as a special science programme during the joint ISRO/NASA Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) carried out with the US Applications Technology Satellite (ATS-6) in 1975-76.
8. Sehra, P.S., The first Indian Scientist ever to winter over the South Pole, Dharmayug - Illustrated Hindi Weekly, published by the proprietors of the Times of India, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd., Headquaters Bombay, India, Vol. 27, No. 1, pp. 6-14, January 4, 1976.
9. Sehra, P.S., The First Indian at the South Pole, Prajamata - Kannada Illustrated Weekly, published by the Prajamata & Janavani Newspapers and Periodicals, Bangalore, India, Vol. 47, Nos. 43 & 44, June 6 & 13, 1976.
10. Sehra, P.S., Harshest Continent - An Indian remembers Antarctica, The Statesman - National daily simultaneously published from Calcutta and New Delhi, India by the Statesman Ltd., Vol. CXXXII, No. 32492, August 5, 1977.
11. Sehra, P.S., What is it like to winter over South Pole, The Sunday Tribune - National daily, published from Chandigarh, India by the Trustees of The Tribune, Volume XCVII, No. 225, August 14, 1977.
12. Sehra, P.S., South Pole Odyssey as I look back, The Hindu - India's national newspaper simultaneously published from Madras, Coimbatore, Bangalore and Hyderabad by the proprietors Kasturi & Sons Ltd., Vol.100, No.33, August 14,1977.
13. Sehra, P.S., Sojourn in the South Pole, The Times of India - National daily, simultaneously published from Bombay, New Delhi and Ahmedabad, India by the proprietors Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd., Vol. CXL, No. 293, October 23, 1977.
14. Sehra, P.S., A Sikh in South Pole Odyssey, The Spokesman Weekly, published from New Delhi, India, Vol. 27, No. 13-14, pp. 37-38, Guru Nanak Number, 1977.
15. Sehra, P.S., The first Indian ever to winter over the South Pole, IMF Book, published by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) at its 20th Anniversary Celebrations, New Delhi, India, 1977-1978.
16. Sans Laurels from Antarctica / Left Out in the Cold, About Dr. Parmjit Singh Sehra's active participation in the 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition from 1971 to 1973 and the Government of India's pending recognition for his Antaretic Explorations, The Indian Express, Vol. L., No. 24, Chandigarh, New Delhi, and simultaneously published from all other main capital cities in India, Friday/Saturday, February 5/6, 1982.
17. Antarctica - Land of Emperor Penguins, (Antarctica - Penguin Badshah ki Dharti), About Dr. Parmjit Singh Sehra's wintering at the South Pole and Exploration of the Antarctic continent, The national daily Hindi newspaper, Punjab Kesri, simultaneously published from Jalandhar and New Delhi, India, Vol. 12, No. 224, Sunday, August 14, 1994.
18. Several news items in the national and international media on Dr. Parmjit Singh Sehra's accomplishments and achievements, etc.
and so on……………
























Contents of the Book “A Visit to South Pole & Explore the Antarctic Continent” subtitled as “Daring Adventures of the First Indian ever to Winter over the South Pole and Circumnavigate and Explore the Antarctic Contient” by Dr. Parmjit Singh Sehra,
Professor of Meteorology,Department of Agronomy and Agrometeorology,
Punjab Agricultural University (PAU),Ludhiana – 141004, Punjab, India,
and also WMO/UN Expert &NASA/USA Consultant :


i. Title page
ii. Foreword
iii. Special Dedication
iv. In Memoriam
v. Sehra was 1st Indian Scientist to Visit Antarctica
vi. Ice Desert & the Nostalgic Tale
vii. About our Members
viii. Indian Scientist Worked at Soviet Antarctic Station

Chapter – 1: Come with me to the South Pole
Chapter – 2: General Survey of Antarctica
Chapter – 3: Circumnavigation of Antarctica
Chapter – 4: My Antarctic Interviews
Chapter – 5: From my South Pole Diary
Chapter – 6: About my Antarctic Voyage
Chapter – 7: Remembering Home from Antarctica
Chapter – 8: An Updated Antarctic Report
Chapter – 9: The First Indian Wintering over the South Pole
Chapter – 10: An Open Letter Proposing Indian Antarctic Bases
Chapter – 11: My Antarctic Programme
Chapter – 12: Antarctic Communication
Chapter – 13: Antarctic Proposal to PM and Some Correspondence
Chapter – 14: Exploration of Antarctica
Chapter – 15: Sojourn in the South Pole
Chapter – 16: Appreciation of My South Pole Odyssey
Chapter – 17: My Scientific Work in Antarctica and Award of Ph.D.
Chapter – 18: Post Doctoral Work and References
Chapter – 19: Sans Laurels from the South Pole
Chapter – 20: Some Accomplishments and Achievements of the Author
Chapter – 21: Preamble of the Book in Hindi

Note : This Book is published by the H.K.T. Publications, P.O.Box 123,
Chnadigarh -160017, India, and it also includes several Antarctic pictures
taken by the author while participating in the 17th Soviet Antarctic
Expedition during the period 1971 to 1973.