Class XII (Vistas) -Chapter - 3 "Journey to the end of the Earth"

 Journey to the end of the Earth

by Tishani Doshi

Tishani Doshi

Born in Madras, India, to a Welsh mother and Gujarati father, she received an Eric Gregory Award in 2001. Her first poetry collection, Countries of the Body, won the 2006 Forward Poetry Prize for best first collection. She was invited to the poetry galas of the Guardian-sponsored Hay Festival of 2006 and the Cartagena Hay Festival of 2007. Her first novel, The Pleasure Seekers, was published by Bloomsbury in 2010 and was long-listed for the Orange Prize in 2011, and shortlisted for The Hindu Best Fiction Award in 2010.

She writes a blog titled "Hit or Miss" on Cricinfo, a cricket-related website. In the blog, which she started writing in April 2009, Tishani Doshi makes observations and commentaries as a television viewer of the second season of the Indian Premier League. She is also collaborating with cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan on his biography, to be published when he retires.

She works as a freelance writer and worked with choreographer Chandralekha until the latter's death in December 2006. She graduated with a master's degree in creative writing from the Johns Hopkins University.

Her most recent book of poetry, Girls Are Coming Out of the Woods,^] was published by HarperCollins India in 2017. The UK edition, published by Bloodaxe Books in 2018, was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation and was shortlisted for the Ted Hughes Award.

Tishani Doshi delivered the keynote address at the 13th annual St. Martin Book Fair on the Caribbean island of St. Maarten (St. Martin) in 2015. Her book The Adulterous Citizen – poems stories essays (2015) was launched at the festival by House of Nehesi Publishers.

If you want to know more about the planet’s past, present and future, Antarctica is the place to go to. Bon Voyage!

Journey to the end of the Earth Introduction

The lesson revolves around the world’s most preserved place, Antarctica. Not many people have been there but out of the few that have, Tishani Doshi is one of them. A south Indian person who went on an expedition with a group of teenagers affiliated with ‘Students on Ice’ programme who takes young minds to different ends of the world. Thus, it gives an insight into how Antarctica is the place you should visit to have a glimpse of the past, present and the future in its realist form.

 Journey to the end of the Earth Summary

For a south Indian man travelling to Antarctica from Madras, it takes nine time zones, six checkpoints, three water-bodies and just as many ecospheres to reach there. Tishani Doshi travelled to the Southern end of the Earth along with an expedition group named ‘Students on Ice’ that provides opportunity to the young minds to sensitise towards the realistic version of climatic changes happening in the world. According to the founder of the organisation, we are the young versions of future policy makers who can turn the situation around. Antarctica is one of the coldest, driest and windiest continent in the world. As far as the eyes can see, it is completely white and its uninterrupted blue horizon gives immense relief. It is shocking to believe that India and Antarctica were part of the same supercontinent Gondwana, that got segregated into countries giving rise to the globe we know today. Antarctica had a warmer climate until then. Despite human civilisation around the globe, it still remains in it pure form. Being a south Indian sun-worshipping guy, it was unimaginable for the author to visit the place that constitutes world’s 90 per cent of ice, a place so quiet that it is only interrupted by snow avalanches. It is a home to a lot of evidences that can give us a glimpse of the past and at the same time, Antarctica helps us foresee the future. The place gives an awakening to threatening alarm that global warming is actually real. Who knows if Antarctica will be warm again and even if it does, will we be alive to see it?

Theme: Geographical phenomenon which led to the formation of Antarctica separating from huge tropical landmass Gondwana./ Antarctica as the best place to study the present, past and future.

  Sub-theme- Global Warming, history of humans and need to conserve our environment / Our responsibility towards safeguarding the planet.

 Setting: Antarctica- Expedition-“Students on Ice” 

 Main Character: Tishani Doshi (autobiographical)

 TEXT OF THE CHAPTER

EARLY this year, I found myself aboard a Russian research vessel — the Akademik Shokalskiy — heading towards the coldest, driest, windiest continent in the world: Antarctica. My journey began 13.09 degrees north of the Equator in Madras, and involved crossing nine time zones, six checkpoints, three bodies of water, and at least as many ecospheres.

Ecospheres- parts of the universe habitable by living organisms

By the time I actually set foot on the Antarctic continent I had been travelling over 100 hours in combination of a car, an aeroplane and a ship; so, my first emotion on facing Antarctica’s expansive white landscape and uninterrupted blue horizon was relief, followed up with an immediate and profound wonder. Wonder at its immensity, its isolation, but mainly at how there could ever have been a time when India and Antarctica were part of the same landmass.

Expansive- covering wide area in terms of space or scope; extensive

Profound- very great or intense

Isolation- separation

Landmass- a continent or other large body of land

Part of history

Six hundred and fifty million years ago, a giant amalgamated southern supercontinent — Gondwana — did indeed exist, centred roughly around the present-day Antarctica. Things were quite different then: humans hadn’t arrived on the global scene, and the climate was much warmer, hosting a huge variety of flora and fauna. For 500 million years

Gondwana thrived, but around the time when the dinosaurs were wiped out and the age of the mammals got under way, the landmass was forced to separate into countries, shaping the globe much as we know it today.

Amalgamated- combine or unite to form one structure

Supercontinent- a former large continent from which other continents are held to have broken off and drifted away

Thrived- prosper; flourish

To visit Antarctica now is to be a part of that history; to get a grasp of where we’ve come from and where we could possibly be heading. It’s to understand the significance of Cordilleran folds and pre-Cambrian granite shields; ozone and carbon; evolution and extinction. When you think about all that can happen in a million years, it can get pretty mind-boggling. Imagine: India pushing northwards, jamming against Asia to buckle its crust and form the Himalayas; South America drifting off to join North America, opening up the Drake Passage to create a cold circumpolar current, keeping Antarctica frigid, desolate, and at the bottom of the world.

Cordilleran folds- an extensive chain of mountains or mountain ranges

Precambrian granite shields- large areas of relatively low elevation that forms part of continental masses

Mind-boggling- overwhelming; startling

Frigid- very cold in temperature

Desolate- (of a place) uninhabited and giving an impression of bleak emptiness

For a sun-worshipping South Indian like myself, two weeks in a place where 90 percent of the Earth’s total ice volumes are stored is a chilling prospect (not just for circulatory and metabolic functions, but also for the imagination). It’s like walking into a giant ping-pong ball devoid of any human markers — no trees, billboards, buildings. You lose all earthly sense of perspective and time here. The visual scale ranges from the microscopic to the mighty: midges and mites to blue whales and icebergs as big as countries (the largest recorded was the size of Belgium). Days go on and on and on in surreal 24-hour austral summer light, and a ubiquitous silence, interrupted only by the occasional avalanche or calving ice sheet, consecrates the place. It’s an immersion that will force you to place yourself in the context of the earth’s geological history. And for humans, the prognosis isn’t good.

Surreal- unusual; bizzare

Austral- relating to the Southern Hemisphere

Ubiquitous- everywhere; pervasive

Avalanche- snowslide

Calving- split and shed

Consecrates- make or declare sacred

Immersion- submerge

Prognosis- a forecast of the likely outcome of a situation

Human Impact

Human civilisations have been around for a paltry 12,000 years — barely a few seconds on the geological clock. In that short amount of time, we’ve managed to create quite a ruckus, etching our dominance over Nature with our villages, towns, cities, megacities. The rapid increase of human populations has left us battling with other species for limited resources, and the unmitigated burning of fossil fuels has now created a blanket of carbon dioxide around the world, which is slowly but surely increasing the average global temperature.

Paltry- petty; insignificant

Ruckus- a row or commotion

Etching- engraved

Unmitigated- unconditional

Climate change is one of the most hotly contested environmental debates of our time. Will the West Antarctic ice sheet melt entirely? Will the Gulf Stream ocean current be disrupted? Will it be the end of the world as we know it? Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, Antarctica is a crucial element in this debate — not just because it’s the only place in the world, which has never sustained a human population and therefore remains relatively ‘pristine’ in this respect; but more importantly, because it holds in its ice-cores half-million-year-old carbon records trapped in its layers of ice. If we want to study and examine the Earth’s past, present and future, Antarctica is the place to go.

Pristine- in its original condition; unspoilt

Students on Ice, the programme I was working with on the Shokaskiy, aims to do exactly this by taking high school students to the ends of the world and providing them with inspiring educational opportunities which will help them foster a new understanding and respect for our planet. It’s been in operation for six years now, headed by Canadian Geoff Green, who got tired of carting celebrities and retired, rich, curiosity-seekers who could only ‘give’ back in a limited way. With Students on Ice, he offers the future generation of policy-makers a life-changing experience at an age when they’re ready to absorb, learn, and most importantly, act.

The reason the programme has been so successful is because it’s impossible to go anywhere near the South Pole and not be affected by it. It’s easy to be blasé about polar ice-caps melting while sitting in the comfort zone of our respective latitude and longitude, but when you can visibly see glaciers retreating and ice shelves collapsing, you begin to realise that the threat of global warming is very real.

Blasé- unimpressed with or indifferent to something because one has experienced or seen it so often before

Antarctica, because of her simple ecosystem and lack of biodiversity, is the perfect place to study how little changes in the environment can have big repercussions. Take the microscopic phytoplankton — those grasses of the sea that nourish and sustain the entire Southern Ocean’s food chain. These single-celled plants use the sun’s energy to assimilate carbon and synthesise organic compounds in that wondrous and most important of processes called photosynthesis. Scientists warn that a further depletion in the ozone layer will affect the activities of phytoplankton, which in turn will affect the lives of all the marine animals and birds of the region, and the global carbon cycle. In the parable of the phytoplankton, there is a great metaphor for existence: take care of the small things and the big things will fall into place.

Walk on the ocean

My Antarctic experience was full of such epiphanies, but the best occurred just short of the Antarctic Circle at 65.55 degrees south. The Shokalskiy had managed to wedge herself into a thick white stretch of ice between the peninsula and Tadpole Island which was preventing us from going any further. The Captain decided we were going to turn around and head back north, but before we did, we were all instructed to climb down the gangplank and walk on the ocean. So there we were, all 52 of us, kitted out in Gore-Tex and glares, walking on a stark whiteness that seemed to spread out forever. Underneath our feet was a metre-thick ice pack, and underneath that, 180 metres of living, breathing, salt water. In the periphery Crabeater seals were stretching and sunning themselves on ice floes much like stray dogs will do under the shade of a banyan tree. It was nothing short of a revelation: everything does indeed connect.

Nine time zones, six checkpoints, three bodies of water and many ecospheres later, I was still wondering about the beauty of balance in play on our planet. How would it be if Antarctica were to become the warm place that it once used to be? Will we be around to see it, or would we have gone the way of the dinosaurs, mammoths and woolly rhinos? Who’s to say? But after spending two weeks with a bunch of teenagers who still have the idealism to save the world, all I can say is that a lot can happen in a million years, but what a difference a day makes!

Epiphanies: a striking realization
Wedge: to force into a narrow space
Gangplanck: a board or plank used to board or disembark from a ship or boat
Kitted out: to give the clothing or equipment required for a particular activity
Goretex: a waterproof breathable fabric
Glares: sunglasses
Ice floe: a large pack of floating ice at least 20×10mts
Revelation: an interesting fact made known

Journey to the end of the Earth Question and Answers

Reading with Insight

1. ‘The world’s geological history is trapped in Antarctica.’ How is the study of this region useful to us?

A. The goelogical phenomena of separation of the landmass into various continents and water bodies almost six hundred and fifty million years ago marks the beginning of the human race on the Earth. Mammals started existing after dinosaurs became extinct which happened once the landmas separated.

2. What are Geoff Green’s reasons for including high school students in the Students on Ice expedition?

A. Geoff Green took high school students on an expedition to one end of the Earth to make them realize the impact that human intervention could have on nature. He wanted the future policy - makers to experience how difficult it would be to sustain life with the rising temperatures. He wanted them to see the melting ice shelves so that they could estimate the trouble that mankind was headed to. 

3. ‘Take care of the small things and the big things will take care of themselves.’ What is the relevance of this statement in the context of the Antarctic environment?

A. The staement holds great importance in context of the Antarctic environment. For instance, the phytoplanktons in the region serve as food for marine birds and animals. The depletion of the ozone layer affects the phytoplanktons and the carbon cycle. This can obstruct the existence of marine life. So, if the process carried on by these small grasses is taken care of, the processes of the bigger animals and birds can be taken care of.

4. Why is Antarctica the place to go to, to understand the earth’s present, past and future?

A. Antarctica is the place to go to to understand the earth's past, present and future because it gives us an idea of how the earth was millions of years ago. The melting sheets of ice give us an idea of the future also.

EXTRA QUESTIONS

How do geological phenomena help us to 1 know about the history of mankind? (2000; 2009 Delhi)

Answer:

It is geological phenomena that help us to know about the history of mankind. Geologists say about 650 million years ago a giant ‘amalgamated’ super continent, Gondwana existed in the South. At that time India and Antarctica were parts of the same landmass. Gondwana had a warm climate and a huge variety of flora and fauna. This supercontinent survived for 500 years till the age of mammals got underway.

Question 2.

What kind of indications do we get while visiting Antarctica to save Earth? (2004 Delhi)

Answer:

Tishani Doshi’s entire experience of visiting Antarctica was nothing short of a revelation. It made her wonder about the “beauty of balance in play on our planet”. She hopes the new generation will understand their planet better and save it from annihilation. The planet’s ecosystem and its balance that took millions of years to form can be soon destroyed. Scientists warn that a further depletion in the ozone layer will affect the activities of the phytoplankton. The lives of the marine animals and birds of the region will be affected. But the school students’ visit to the Antarctica may make human beings handle their planet in a better way.

Question 3.

How can a visit to the Antarctica be an enlightening experience? (2008 Outside Delhi; All Comptt. Delhi)

Answer:

By visiting the Antarctica we can understand the earth’s past, present and future. A visit there can teach the next generation to understand and value our planet. Antarctica also holds within its ice-cores half-million-years old carbon records which will help us to study climatic changes by global warming.

Question 4.

Why is a visit to Antarctica important to realise the effect of global warming? (2008 Outside Delhi)

Answer:

Antarctica is the perfect place to study the effects that global warming is causing. It is here that one can see the effect of melting glaciers and collapsing ice-shelves and how this is likely to raise the water levels in the sea and the ocean, as a result of which many low lying regions will be submerged under water.

Question 5.

How is Antarctica a crucial element in the debate on climate change? (2008 Outside Delhi; 2013 Comptt. Outside Delhi)

Answer:

Antarctica is a crucial element in the debate on climate change because it is the only place in the world which has never sustained a human population and thus remains relatively pristine. Moreover, it holds in its ice-caves half-million- year old carbon records trapped in its layers of ice. The world’s climate is changing fast and is at present one of the most hotly debated issues. Antarctica is the ideal place to study the effect of these environmental changes as it has a very simple ecosystem and lacks biodiversity. If global warming makes Antarctica warmer, it will have disastrous consequences elsewhere.

Question 6.

What was the objective of the ‘Students on Ice Programme’? (2009 Delhi; 2011 Comptt. Outside Delhi)

Answer:

The objective of the ‘Students on Ice’ programme was to take High School students to the limits of the world and provide them not only with inspiring opportunities in education but also enable them to understand and respect our planet. The idea was to provide them a life-changing experience at an age when they are ready to absorb, learn and most importantly act. According to Geoff Green, the High School students are the future policy makers and through this programme they would save this planet from ecological hazards and the harmful effects of global warming.

Question 7.

Why is Antarctica and its understanding important for the survival of the world? (2009 Outside Delhi)

Answer:

Antarctica and its understanding is important for the survival of the world because it helps us to know that the southern supercontinent of Gondwana existed and centered around the present-day Antarctica. Human beings had not come on the global scene but a huge variety of flora and fauna was present in the supercontinent. It was after 500 million years that the landmass was forced to separate into countries that exist today. Antarctica’s ice-cores hold over half-million-year-old carbon records which are crucial for the study of the Earth’s past, present and future.

Question 8.

What are the indications for the future of humankind? (2009 Outside Delhi)

Answer:

A fast and steady rise in human population in proportion to the limited natural resources is exerting pressure on land. Forests are being cut and fossil fuels are being burnt and these factors are increasing the global temperature. Melting of glaciers, depletion of ozone layer and global warming are endangering man’s existence on earth. This is bound to adversely affect marine life, birds and mankind.

Question 9.

How did the Antarctica amaze the writer when he first saw it? (2010 Delhi)

Answer:

When the writer first saw Antarctica he was amazed by its vastness and immense white landscape. It was an endless blue horizon and the fact that it was isolated from the rest of the world created an added sense of wonder and mystery about the continent.

Question 10.

Why was Tishani Doshi filled with relief and wonder when he set foot on the Antarctic continent? (2010 Comptt. Delhi)

Answer:

Tishani Doshi’s first emotion when he set foot on the Antarctic continent was one of relief. He felt relieved to have set foot there after over a hundred hours. Its vastness and immense wild landscape dazzled his eyes. Its endless blue horizon and its isolation from the rest of the world created a sense of wonder and mystery for him.

Question 11.

Why is Antarctica the place to go to if we want to study the earth’s past, present and future? (2010 Comptt. Outside Delhi)

Answer:

The Antarctica landmass, that was an amalgamated southern supercontinent called Gondwana dates back to 650 million years. It can help us understand better the formation of continents and mountains like the Himalayas as they are in the modem world. Its ice-cores hold over half-million-year old carbon records that are vital to study the Earth’s past, present and future.