Antarctica and this Indian district share the same pin code!

Two continents, two wildly different weathers, one basking in tropical sunshine, the other buried under layers of ice! But in its roots, there’s a hidden connection that goes way back. Turns out if you ever try sending a letter using just the pin code, you might mix up the two places! Because Panaji in Goa and Antarctica surprisingly share the same pin code, 403001.

Why does Antarctica share a pin code with this Indian town?

Let’s rewind time and drop our pin four decades back, all the way to 1983. In the chilly days of December, Indian researchers headed for Antarctica in a chartered ice-class vessel called Finnpolaris with 81-members on board to set up their first permanent research station called Dakshin Gangotri. Communication at the base was a bit patchy, so in 1984, they decided to set up a post office, but not your usual mail service. It didn’t actually process letters; instead, it became a quirky, adventurous hub for anyone wanting a postal stamp from Antarctica as a prized keepsake.

So, basically since the pin codes were given the same as the small tropical town of Goa, all letters addressed to the icy continent first landed at the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research in Vasco. Then it would hitch a ride with any researcher heading south.

Soon, curious collectors from around the world began sending letters to Dakshin Gangotri, not to reach anyone, but to get them officially stamped and “cancelled”. In just a year, nearly 10,000 envelopes were processed, each bearing the rare Antarctic postmark, and returned as prized philatelic collectibles, some fetching impressive prices among enthusiasts.

Sudipta Sengupta, the first Indian woman to join a scientific expedition to the Antarctic research base, had the unique task of carrying thousands of letters. She said in an interview, “We received letters from all over the world. I used to carry loads from India and personally cancelled them in Antarctica with a special stamp.” She added, “The honorary title of the postmaster was given to a different expedition member each year.”

In the years that followed, climate change began to take its toll, and the mighty icebergs slowly swallowed Dakshin Gangotri, submerging the research base beneath Antarctica’s frozen expanse. The post office and its facilities went along with it, lost to the icy depths. Today, the mantle has passed to Maitri, India’s other Antarctic research center, carrying forward the legacy in this extreme, frozen frontier.

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