Did you know about this Indian post office in Antarctica?

With the boom of the Internet, the role of the post offices have seemingly faded away. Earlier, we used to be dependent on them for sending letters/messages to people living far away, whereas now we have Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger that come to our rescue. Yet, we can’t ignore the fact that post offices played a crucial role in our lives for the longest period of time.

Cut to chase, post offices now evoke a nostalgic feeling in some of us. In this time and age, the few leftover post offices are required for important things like postage stamps and identity verification.So, what if we tell you that there was once an Indian post office in Antarctica, which used to be an intriguing place to visit at one point of time. Established in 1984 during the third Indian expedition to Antarctica, it was located at Dakshin Gangotri, which also served as the first scientific base station of India situated in Antarctica.
Situated in a spectacular location, this post office was important for more than one reason. During its prime time, it also used to turn into a place for multiple support systems. However, Dakshin Gangotri, as it was so-called, got decommissioned in 1990 after half of it got buried under the ice. Now although the post office is no longer there, it still remains a one of the most favourite stopovers for Indian tourists who visit the place in cruise ships.

However, this should not make you think that India no longer has a post office at the Antarctic Circle, as you will find one situated at Maitri, where the country’s current research station is also situated.