Kapil Sibal became the first Indian minister and member of Parliament to ever set foot on Antarctica when he and a group of civil servants from his Ministry of Science and Technology and Ocean Development visited the site from February 2 to 4.

In an exclusive interview with Associate Editor Onkar Singh on his return to New Delhi, Sibal shared his impressions about Antarctica.

What was it like when you were about to land on Antarctica?

Thrilling! Words cannot describe your spontaneous reaction to such an eventful journey. The whole thing was just marvellous, wonderful.

What was the journey like?

When we entered the Ilyushin aircraft, it was clear to me that it was going to be an exciting journey. The plane was not like normal Boeings. It was a cargo plane where some seats were put in place for us.

The next morning when we were about to land we knew we were going to land on ice. Everyone was a bit concerned and anxious.

Photographs: Press Information Bureau

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