Indian Navy and Poles

·         On April 9, 2008 three submariners of the Indian Navy created a history of sorts when they became the first members of an organisation and the first Indians who have been to the South Pole, to have scaled Mount Everest and to have reached the North Pole.

·         The three - Commander Satyabrata Dam, M.C. Rajkumar and petty officer medical assistant Vikas Kumar - were part of a ten member of Indian Navy team who reached the North Pole

·         The team was flown to Oslo capital of Norway from Delhi March 26 and then to Longyearbyen base camp from where they skied to the North Pole carrying 120 kg of baggage each.

·         Standing at the North Pole, Dam could also observe the effect of global warming.The three joined an elite club of adventurers, who have successfully reached the North Pole, the South Pole as well as the Mount Everest.

·         Dam said: "South Pole was easier to reach as it was a hard landmass. But the North Pole is frozen Arctic Ocean, which is always moving. This made our task difficult as the ice drifted back to the original position and we had to do the journey twice."

·         The Navy has completed successful expeditions to the Mount Everest and the South Pole, respectively, in 2004 and 2006.