Sudipta Sengupta
A structural geologist who was one of the first Indian woman to do research in Antartica and helped establish India’s permanent research station.
Featuring artwork by Arghya Manna & words by Dr. Archana Nagarajan, Sci-Illustrate Stories. Co-edited by Dr. Roopali Chaudhary. Set in motion & edited by Dr. Radhika Patnala.
Breaking through the ice ceiling
“She remembered who she was and the game changed” - Lalah Delia, Author
One of the last frontiers to be conquered on earth, Antarctica, has always evoked the images of a fierce battle between Roald Amundsen and Robert Scott and their teams to be the first expedition to arrive there (in 1911). Since then, for a long time to come, it was a male-dominated frontier. 1970s saw a shift in policies, allowing more women to be part of Antarctic scientific expeditions. Prof. Sudipta Sengupta, in 1983, became the first Indian woman (alongside Dr. Aditi Pant) to go to Antarctica.
Prof. Sengupta is a structural geologist whose immense contributions to the study of pre-cambrian rock formations are well known. However, it is her path-breaking journey to Antarctica that is her biggest legacy.
Early Life
Sudipta Sengupta is the youngest of the three daughters born, in 1946, to Jyoti Ranjan Sengupta and Pushpa…
