The Hindu Business Line : A top-of-the-world experience

On May 1, last week, I had the rare privilege of joining a select group of academics, scientists, journalists on a polar sightseeing flight. Our trip to the North Pole from Duesseldorf was more than 9,500 km and took us through a number of climatic zones. North of the polar circle, snowstorms are a possibility even in early May. Fortunately, our flight was smooth except over Norway’s island of Spitzbergen.

Routing

The 12-hour flight departed Duesseldorf in a comfortable Airbus A330-200. We flew over Hamburg and the German North Sea coast over Denmark and headed directly towards Norway. Just west of the alpine Norwegian coast with bizarre rock formations and fjords, we reached Tromso, one of the most northerly cities in Norway. From there, we flew across the Barents Sea directly towards Spitsbergen. This archipelago, about the size of Ireland, was almost entirely covered with mighty glaciers and surrounded by icebergs.

Here, we were to leave our cruising altitude to have a closer look at the polar environment of Spitsbergen. The weather was bad. However, even at 40,000 feet above, we could let our gaze wander over calving glaciers, characteristic mountain formations and majestic fjords. We also flew over Spitsbergen’s only settlement, Longyearbyen, but the Captain skipped the planned low pass at the world’s most northerly civil airport, Svalbard Lufthavn Longyear, again due to stormy weather.

From Spitsbergen, our flight headed further north. Directly ahead of us lay the endless polar sea. Fields of pack ice, cracks and miles of enormous icebergs offered stunning views. In 80 minutes, the Captain did a “countdown” to 90° North, and soon, we were there, on top of the world, The North Pole! After directly overflying the pole, heading towards Alaska, we were part of another matchless experience. We took a round up of the earth, clockwise and anti-clockwise, flying across all 360 degrees of longitude within just two minutes. At the North Pole, we were equidistant to Alaska as to the North Cape in Norway. From this point, the distance to Northern Canada was only 750 km making us closer to the American continent than to Europe.

Flying across spectacular landscapes of floating ice, we passed just west of Spitsbergen, again offering beautiful views of the archipelago’s west coast, heading towards the east coast Greenland, again flying low to capture the enormous beauty of this largest icy island. One interesting feature was the direct transmission of camera pictures from the cockpit into the cabin.

Characteristics of the North Pole

The year is divided at the Pole as 194 days sun; 76 darkness, 47 days dawn, 48 twilight. The sun rises in the south. The stars do not rise and set, but revolve, or spin round, in horizontal planes completing one round in 24 hours. The northern celestial hemisphere is alone overhead and visible during the whole year; and the southern or the lower celestial world is always invisible. The year consists of only one long day and one long night of six months each. There is only one morning and one evening, or the sun rises and sets only once a year.

These phenomena are so peculiar to the North Pole that one may expect their traces in the traditions and myths of the people who once lived there. The idea of the day and night of the gods, each being of six months’ duration, is reflected in the Puranas as also in astronomical works. Mount Meru is the terrestrial North Pole of our astronomers.

The Vedas confirm the location of a Mount Meru at the top of the world. Further, Mahabharat in chapters 163 and 164 of Vanaparvan and ninth canto, 16th chapter, texts 19 - 21, of the Bhagavatam Purana give such a clear description of Mount Meru, the lord of the mountains, as to leave no doubt its being the North Pole, or possessing the Polar characteristics.

The contrast between the north and south poles resembles that between the spiritual and material poles. Today, a cold war between countries surrounding the Arctic Ocean is brewing which, if allowed to escalate, could have devastating global consequences.

Geo-Political Issues

An international power struggle is already under way as governments rush to stake claims on territory promising oil, gas mineral deposits and other natural resources. What’s the main cause of this sudden territorial interest? Up to 25 per cent of the Earth’s known oil and gas reserves lie, currently unreachable, under the seabed below the North Pole ice cap. Russia has already claimed 50 per cent of the seabed area.

Having planted a flag (housed in a titanium capsule) on the ocean floor, Russia hopes to secure the estimated 10 billion barrels of oil beneath. Canada, Denmark, Norway and the US are staking similar claims too. This substantial fossil fuel reserve will be one of the last and, therefore, most important, energy supplies in the global economy.

International law

The North Pole is not currently regarded as part of any single country’s territory and is, therefore, administered by the International Seabed Authority. Current laws grant countries an economic zone of 200 nautical miles beyond their land borders. This zone can be extended where a country can prove that the structure of the continental shelf is similar to the geological structure within its territory.

After the long flight hours over the polar region, offering the most spectacular and unforgettable views, we landed in Duesseldorf — returning to the mundane plane of existence.

There was a sense fulfilment. It was like returning from a pilgrimage — a beautiful and unforgettable experience. In this ‘top of the world’ experience, all feelings of nationality, race, ethnic stance, disappeared. Replaced by pure bliss. This is one of my best travel memories.

(The author is former Europe Director, CII, and lives in Cologne, Germany. Feedback may be sent to mailto: mohan.murti@t-online.de> mohan.murti@t-online.de)

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