NEW DELHI: In 1984, shortly after India’s first foray to Antarctica, its first put up workplace on the icy continent was arrange at Dakshi Gangotri — the nation’s first scientific base there. Inside the first yr, as many as 10,000 letters and mail had been posted and ‘cancelled’ on the historic put up workplace. And so started what officers describe as a “distinctive experiment” for India’s postal fraternity. Dakshin Gangotri was submerged in ice in 1988-89 and was subsequently decommissioned. On January 26, 1990, a put up workplace department was arrange at India’s Maitri analysis station on Antarctica.
Since then, for greater than 35 years, letters and postcards in clean envelopes have been despatched — principally by philatelists, collectors and hobbyists — to the Maitri put up workplace for ‘cancellation’. The impression, ‘Maitri North Goa’, from the Antarctic analysis base is a famed “collector’s merchandise”.
Nearly 4 many years later, letters meant for Antarctica will now have a brand new PIN code, MH-1718, with the Division of Posts opening a second department of the put up workplace on the Bharati analysis station in Antarctica. The code presently assigned is “experimental”, which is the norm when a brand new department begins, officers mentioned.
India’s two analysis bases in Antarctica — Maitri and Bharati — are positioned 3,000 km aside. Notably, each branches are a part of the Goa postal division.
“In observe, the letters meant for the put up workplace in Antarctica are despatched to the Nationwide Centre for Polar and Ocean Analysis (NCPOR), the nodal company for India’s polar expeditions, in Goa. When a scientific expedition to the continent leaves the NCPOR, a researcher is often tasked with carrying the consignment of letters. On the analysis base, the letters are ‘cancelled’, introduced again, and returned through put up,” mentioned an official from the Division of Posts.
Officers mentioned ‘cancellation’ is a marking on a postage stamp or stationery achieved to deface the stamp and stop reuse. Usually, ‘cancelled’ letters embody the date and put up workplace location the place the stamps had been mailed. For collectors, they’re essential to find out the worth of stamps.
M Sudhakar, a former scientist, at NCPOR, elaborated on another excuse why the put up workplace is critical. He mentioned Antarctica is ruled by the Atlantic Treaty, which places apart territorial claims by any nation prohibits navy exercise or nuclear testing and underlines that the continent can solely be used for scientific exploration.
“Usually, an Indian put up workplace can solely be within the jurisdiction of Indian land. Antarctica offers us a singular alternative to have an Indian put up workplace in a land which is overseas and doesn’t belong to us. So, it serves a strategic objective by way of asserting presence on the continent,” he mentioned.
On the event, becoming a member of through video conferencing, Chief Postmaster Basic, Maharashtra circle, Ok Ok Sharma made an attraction to the scientists in Antarctica to proceed to put up letters again residence to their households and pals.
“There may be all the time quite a lot of pleasure about these put up places of work (in distant areas). These days with WhatsApp and Twitter, all this (expertise) has taken over. However, nothing can beat the written phrase. Significantly, when you’re sitting so removed from your loved ones. I might request that you just please make use of this incredible alternative, and write letters to your family members… You may create reminiscences and they’ll stick with you in bodily type. All these e-formats get erased quick, however you may take a look at a letter years later and it’ll take you again to these reminiscences,” mentioned Sharma.
A majority of the mail to India’s put up workplace branches in Antarctica is pushed by philately fans and collectors. R P Patil, Director, Postal Companies, Goa area, mentioned, “Collectors of postage stamps see it as a uncommon alternative to gather the ‘impression’ of a stamp from a distant post-office location. There may be all the time a excessive demand from philatelists for cancellation of letters.”
