Interview with Sudipta Sengupta
A unique opportunity to rendezvous with Dr. Sengupta
While field work in any terrain comes with its own challenges, working in the terrains of the Antarctic is on another level!
Dr. Sudipta Sengupta, our Indian woman scientist featured here, was one of the first women geologists sent by India to the Antarctic on an expedition. The youngest daughter of a meteorologist, Sudipta is a trained mountaineer and geologist who is passionate about her work with rocks; not only studying them, but also climbing them. In 1982 she joined the third Indian expedition to the Indian station, Dakshin Gangotri, pioneering geological studies in the Schirmacher Hills of East Antarctica.
In this exclusive interview, Sudipta talks about her experiences leading up to her expeditions, her learnings, and words of wisdom.
- Please tell us about your childhood growing up in a newly independent India. What are some of the inspirations that guided you and perhaps some challenges you faced while growing up?
I was born in Calcutta in a middle class, educated, Bengali family. My father was a brilliant scholar and M.Sc. in Physics. He was a Meteorologist by profession. My mother was a graduate and a homemaker. They were very progressive in their thinking and always encouraged us to study and make a life for ourselves. We are three sisters, but we never felt any different from the male children of our time.
From childhood we travelled a lot. For a few years, my father was posted in Nepal and I spent some part of my childhood there. I fell in love with the mountains then and was very influenced by their natural beauty. Probably that was behind my mind when I took a Rock-climbing course in the gap between the end of school and beginning of College. Then I took Basic and Advance Mountaineering training from Himalayan Mountaineering Institute at Darjeeling. Later I joined two expeditions to the Himalayas. Compared to many children of our time, we had a very interesting childhood with exposure to a variety of people and their culture.
2. How did you decide to be a scientist? Who or what inspired you? What got you interested in the field of geology?
My father always encouraged us to study science. From our childhood, he told us about the achievements of many scientists. I decided to study Physics like my father, but then opted for Geology as I came to know that as a Geologist one can do science as well as travel to remote places.
3. Being selected as the 1st Indian woman to go to Antarctica is a remarkable achievement! What was the nature of your work and your experiences during that project? What surprised you the most about working in extreme conditions? Or about field work?
Before Antarctica, I had the experience of doing field work in difficult terrains. From 1976 to 1979, I carried out research for Geodynamics Project in Uppsala University, Sweden, and did field work on my own for two field seasons (one month each) in the mountains of Norway. I also worked as a Summer geologist for the Swedish Geological Survey for three months. Moreover, I was a trained mountaineer and joined two expeditions in the Himalaya. Thus, I had enough experience and training to work in cold conditions and difficult terrains. All these experiences gave me the confidence that I would be able to do justice to my role as a geologist in Antarctica.
However, working in Antarctica was definitely not easy. In addition to low temperatures, there was always a strong wind. Very often there were blizzards. Doing field work in those conditions is really tough. One has to be strong both physically and mentally. Since there is sunlight for 24 hours in the summer months in the Antarctic, we used to carry out field work for more than twelve hours a day. It is physically exhausting. Moreover, at the end of the day we have to carry heavy loads of rock samples in our rucksack and walk over hilly terrains for hours. In a group of three geologists, I was the only woman. But I did the same work as my male colleagues and completed my task without any problems.
During my second expedition in 1989, three of my geologist colleagues died in an accident. It was a traumatic experience for me. I had to carry out all the work on my own. It was a very difficult situation both emotionally and physically. However, with determination, I was able to complete my job successfully.
4. You had a difficult project that not everyone can pursue. What kept you inspired daily?
I love my work and enjoy it immensely. I think that is the main reason. Moreover, these projects offer physical as well as intellectual challenges, which makes the work more attractive.
5. Did you find it challenging to achieve a balance between professional and personal life as a scientist with the kind of research and projects that you chose to take on?
It is sometimes very difficult to balance both. But one has to learn to do that. The family members also help.
6. Failure is an intrinsic part of research. How did you deal with failure and what advice would you give others for coping with it?
Failure is always a part of success. To be successful in research I think one has to have tenacity and patience. Every researcher has to go through a lot of struggles. The hindrances come in many forms. We always have to compromise and innovate. As a female geologist in India, I had to face many problems to do field work in remote areas. But with determination, most of the problems can be solved.
7. Which of your discoveries are you most proud of’?
I would not use the term “Discovery” for my research. You can term it as finding answers to a few specific questions. I deal with some fundamental aspects of structural geological problems and tried to find answers to those problems. I am proud of many aspects of my research. I am proud of the work I did in the Schirmacher Hills of Antarctica. That work built the foundation of the later research work in that area.
8. How was it being a women scientist in India at that time? Did you face any challenges as a scientist and especially as a women scientist?
Being a woman, I had to face many hurdles. In my initial days as a geologist, very few women took up geology as a profession. However, I was able to overcome those challenges and was successful as a professional. You have to be mentally very strong and face all the obstacles with grit and determination.
9. How, in your opinion and observation, has the pursuit of science changed in India from 1980–90s to now?
There is remarkable improvement in teaching and research opportunities. Many new IITs, NIITs have opened. A large number of private universities and institutes have been started. Research funds have improved. The number of research scholarships were very few in the 1980s. Many brilliant students could not pursue research and were forced to take up jobs. Things have improved a lot. However, in recent years, there is a sudden shrinking of research funding causing great difficulties to the public universities and institutes. Unless the situation improves, there will be an adverse effect on Indian science.
10. We see that many fields of science are ignored in the mainstream science that is pursued and supported in India. Taking from your experience, how do you think we can better promote diverse field of science subjects in India that are not mainstream?
The situation has definitely improved from our time. However, there is always scope for improvement. Our government spends a minuscule percent of expenditure on science education and research. It must change.
11. From someone that has accomplished so much in their lifetime, made generations of women scientists proud, and stands as an inspiration for many more to come, can you please share some thoughts and words of wisdom that guided you through your journey and helped you along the way.
I think the main thing is that one has to be happy in her work. If you love what you are doing, then you can fruitfully use your capabilities and excel at your job. I will always tell young women to follow their dreams and work hard to achieve those dreams. Just remember that there will always be hurdles, but one has to overcome those hurdles with confidence and hard work. There is no alternative to hard work and self-belief .
Writer:
DR. ARCHANA NAGARAJAN
Contributing Writer, Sci-Illustrate Stories
Archana Nagarajan pursued her Ph.D. in Evolutionary Genetics from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre For Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore, India. Archana moved to Europe more than 9 years ago to pursue post-doctoral research. After moving through Europe (France, UK and Norway) for various post-doctoral stints in ageing biology, she now lives in Hamburg, Germany with her family and works as a freelance Scientific and Medical Writer. She enjoys writing on science and on sustainable living. She is often found curled up with her books and reading to her daughter. She loves travelling to UNESCO world heritage sites.
Co-Editor and Layout:
DR. ROOPALI CHAUDHARY
Content Editor Women in Science, Sci-Illustrate Stories
Dr. Chaudhary has an MSc in Genetics (University of Waterloo, Canada) studying Drosophila embryogenesis (fruit fly embryo development), and a PhD in Cellular & Molecular Biology (McMaster University, Canada) studying intestinal inflammation in a novel mouse model. She furthered her career in a 3-year post-doctoral fellowship studying the immune memory in food allergies (McMaster University, Canada). Dr. Chaudhary’s continually strives to make science accessible, be with through her edible science art (custom cakes), teaching or her outreach activities.
Dr. Radhika Patnala, Series Director, Sci-Illustrate Spotlight
