Entertainment · Film · 2 hrs ago
Film tells how India built its first Antarctic science base
India’s first Antarctic scientific base was Dakshin Gangotri, built during the 1983-84 Antarctic summer.
Geophysicist and seismologist Harsh Kumar Gupta was sent to lead the mission, which built the base over one Antarctic summer.
A new film, Miracle in Antarctica, tells the story through interviews, archival material, stock footage and animation.
Producer Sourabha Rao and director Santosh Saligram began the project after meeting Gupta, who wanted his mission documented.
The scale and speed of the effort made it exceptional: Rao says a project of that scale had not been completed before then or since at that pace.
The film also looks at why Antarctica matters amid global warming and extreme weather.
A new film, Miracle in Antarctica, tells the story of building Dakshin Gangotri, India’s first scientific base station in Antarctica.
Producer Sourabha Rao says the project aims to bring wider attention to a mission whose story has not been told in many ways.
The mission was led by geophysicist and seismologist Harsh Kumar Gupta.
The film combines interviews, archival material, stock footage and animation.
It also explores Antarctica’s relevance today, including in the context of global warming and extreme weather events.
- Who
- The film was produced by Sourabha Rao and directed by her husband, Santosh Saligram. It tells the story of a mission led by Harsh Kumar Gupta.
- What
- Miracle in Antarctica chronicles the building of Dakshin Gangotri, India’s first scientific base station in Antarctica.
- When
- The mission took place over one Antarctic summer in 1983-84. The filmmakers began shooting interviews in May last year.
- Where
- Antarctica; the filmmakers are based in Bengaluru.
- Why
- The filmmakers wanted to tell the story of the mission and explore Antarctica’s relevance today, including amid global warming and extreme weather events.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
India established Dakshin Gangotri over one Antarctic summer.
Gupta’s book, Building Dakshin Gangotri at Antarctica: A Miracle, was published by the Geological Society of India.
Filmmaker Prakash Matada met Gupta and connected him with Sourabha Rao and Santosh Saligram.
Rao and Saligram began shooting interviews for the film.
- Film
- Miracle in Antarctica
- Base
- Dakshin Gangotri, India’s first scientific base station in Antarctica
- Mission leader
- Harsh Kumar Gupta
- Mission period
- One Antarctic summer in 1983-84
- Book
- Building Dakshin Gangotri at Antarctica: A Miracle, published in 2021
- Funding organisations
- Ashraya Hastha Trust; Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies; Samagata Foundation
1 source
What people are saying
It is a privilege for us to tell a story like that
time was not on his side
Standing up to the gravitas of the story or the scientists who made it happen was a monumental responsibility