Journey to the end of the World

Journey to the end of the World

                              By Tishani Doshi

Analysis :

The chapter ‘Journey to the end of the World’ written by Tishani Doshi, an Indian poet, writer and dancer based in Chennai.

The chapter is a beautiful and detailed description of the coldest, driest, windiest continent in the world, Antarctica.

It is a beautiful and informative account of Antarctica by the narrator, a south Indian person who went on an expedition there with a group of teenagers affiliated with ‘Students on Ice’ programme.

The story narrates the expedition describing its history, human impact on geography and walk on ocean.

The lesson gives an insight into how Antarctica is the place we should visit to have a glimpse of the past, present and future in its realistic form.

The story conveys the message that we must not ignore our environment, places and geography. Nature needs to be preserved, developed and maintained.

According to Tishani Doshi, visiting Antarctica is necessary as we can understand how world came into existence and how it can come to an end.

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Summary

The lesson revolves around the world’s most preserved place, Antarctica. Tishani Doshi, a south Indian person went on an expedition with a group of teenagers affiliated with ‘Students on Ice’ programme taking young minds to different ends of the world. The programme provides an opportunity to the young minds to sensitise them towards the realistic version of climatic changes happening in the world. According to the founder of the organisation, students are the young versions of future policymakers who can turn the situation around. 

They went there on a Russian research vessel known as the Akademik Shokalskiy. For travelling to Antarctica from Madras it takes nine time zones, six checkpoints, three water bodies and just as many ecospheres to reach there. Antarctica is one of the coldest, driest and windiest continents in the world.

The chapter gives an insight into how Antarctica is the place we should visit to have a glimpse of the past, present and future in its realist form. According to Tishani Doshi, Antarctica is the place where the world’s geological history is preserved. Six hundred and fifty million years ago, a giant amalgamated southern supercontinent, Gondwana existed, and which centred roughly around the present day Antarctica with warmer climate, and huge variety of flora. For 500 million years Gondwana thrived from the time of dinosaurs to the age of the mammals, then divisions such as countries came into being. It displays history of evolution and extinction.

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Her encounter with the ice-mysteries of this ice-region was exhilarating. As far as the eyes can see, it is completely white and its uninterrupted blue horizon gives immense relief. There, 90 per cent of the Earth’s total ice volumes are stored is a chilling prospect without any human markers such as trees and buildings, only interrupted by snow avalanches. 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. 

The hottest debate of our time is whether West America ice sheets will melt entirely or not. Antartica has a simple ecosystem and lacks biodiversity. Here, we can study how small changes to the environment can have big repurcussions such as further depletion of ozone layer can affect the life of marine creatures.

The most thrilling experience for the 52 members team was to climb down the gangplank and walk on a metre thick ice sheet on the surface of ocean under which there was 180 metre of living and breathing salt water. seals were enjoying a little further. The author wished it should remain as beautiful as it is.  

It is 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. Antarctica may be warm again and even if it does, we will be alive to see it or not. Nobody knows it.

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Important Question Answers

Q1. ‘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?

Ans. ‘Take care of the small things and the big things will take care of themselves.’ This statement is a metaphor for our existence. The phytoplanktons, the smallest unit in food chain for marine birds and animals maintains greater ecological balance. The depletion of the ozone layer affects the phytoplanktons and the carbon cycle. This can obstruct the existence of marine life. So, if these small grasses are taken care of, the existence of bigger animals and birds will be safe. Similarly in our day to day life, our small actions such as minimising waste, avoiding plastic, etc. can bring greater and significant positive changes in our environment.

Q2. Why is Antarctica the place to go to, to understand the earth’s present, past and future?

Ans. Antarctica is a part of earth’s history so it becomes the place to visit in order to understand the earth's past, present and future. This place gives us an idea of how the earth was millions of years ago. About 650 years ago there was one super continent, Gondwana, and India and Antarctica were the part of the same land mass which was forced to get divided into countries as we have them today. It was quite warmer earlier and now again it is getting warm. The melting of ice sheets and glaciers give us an idea what kind of future we are heading to. Thus, visiting Antarctica gives us an idea of earth’s past, present and future.

Q3. What are Geoff Green’s reasons for including high school students in the Students on Ice expedition?

Ans. ‘Students on Ice’ programme by Geoff Green aims at providing the students with inspiring educational opportunity. Geoff Green, a Canadian took high school students on an expedition to the southern end of the Earth. He wants to make them realise the impact that human intervention could have had on nature. He perceives the students as the future policy – makers and projects them to life changing experience. He wishes them to realise how difficult it would be to sustain life with the rising global temperature. He successfully made them see the melting glaciers and collapsing ice shelves and estimate the trouble that mankind may be facing very soon so that they can do something to bring a positive change.