Being wrapped in four layers of clothing,
Then in a thin layer of fabric cover,
Followed by a sleeping bag,
Lying in a pit dug through ice,
Getting kissed by the snow fall on my cheeks and lips,

Listening to the sweet warning sounds of seals as we occupied their territory for the night along with the horrific sounds of ice bergs breaking into Antarctic waters,

Opening the zip of my sleeping bag once in 10 minutes to take breath (doubting that I am unable to take the breath :P)

It all took a gentle peep through my sleeping bag towards the Antarctic sky which made me realize that I am a speck in the creation of Mother Nature. I could see the Milky Way galaxy in the sky which generally appears once in hundreds of years in Antarctica, that’s the moment I was totally in awe staring at the creator’s live 3D painting. Lying under the roof of Milky Way hugged sky, I felt I was in a different world altogether. My eyes witnessed some divine scene which my thoughts had never ever dreamt of. I never knew that those “little white spots” (stars :P) could amaze my eyes so much. I felt that there will be no dearth for inspiration from Mother Nature if one is really determined to achieve his impossible.

I realized how insignificant Human is before Mother Nature. If she wished, she could wipe me by just a sniff (a simple ice berg break at its edge) – but she didn’t. I realized how funny it was that man constantly tries to gain control over her. Her showcase of humanity towards humans is immense. She wants us to coexist with her because the beauty of nature is something that inspires humans to achieve the impossible. Her humbleness is something that inspired me and got me connected with that divine land ‘Antarctica’. Her beauty is something that inspires a normal chartered accountant like me to write something like this. Greatness is not an attribute of someone who knows where to win but that of someone who knows where to bend and take a step down but let others win passing the baton. That moment, I completely surrendered myself and realized that it was time to act. I felt that she had just showed me the magnanimity of her beauty and kindness so that I could understand the other side of her too – so it was time to act.

I believe that “To act” is not just to volunteer for 30 minutes a week and plant a tree. To act in true sense is to contribute towards sustainability in whatever you do. Sustainability has to be imbibed in one’s life. For instance, for renewable power like thermal power to reach masses, its economics has to work. It ought to become cheaper. To achieve that the young generation has to put efforts in scientific research and invent devices and methods to make it cheaper.

 “The greatest threat to our Planet is the Belief that someone else will save it.”
– Sir. Robert Swan, first person on planet to walk to North Pole and South Pole

Camping Night Time lapse Video:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4_TkEkWUL5zeThiNWJwN1NYZGs/view?usp=sharing
 You may like my facebook page for more upcoming posts:
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(All this happened during my time spent in Antarctica as a member of International Antarctic Expedition 2015, led by Sir Robert Swan, first person on the planet to walk to North Pole and South Pole. I got an opportunity to interview him covering various aspects such as how Indian youth can contribute towards sustainability etc. The following is the Google drive link of the same- https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4_TkEkWUL5zanVNTnl2R2J4cWM/view?usp=sharing).