Indian scientists at the Maitri research station in Antarctica celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi by creating a Lord Ganesha idol entirely from snow. Despite being thousands of kilometers from home, the team performed traditional rituals, including pooja, aarti, and making modaks.
Ganesh Chaturthi took on an extraordinary setting this year as Indian scientists stationed at Antarctica’s Maitri research station celebrated the festival by creating a Lord Ganesha idol entirely out of snow. Thousands of kilometres away from India, the team brought a familiar touch of home to one of the world’s most remote and challenging environments.
The celebration was documented in an Instagram video shared by Anirudh Dhar, a doctor associated with the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR). The video shows scientists at Maitri Station shaping the snow into a handmade Ganesha idol. They decorated the sculpture with a garland and small flowers before gathering around it for the traditional Ganesh Chaturthi rituals.
The team performed pooja and aarti and could be heard enthusiastically chanting “Ganpati Bappa Morya” as they prayed and celebrated together. The festivities also included handmade modaks, adding another familiar element of the Indian festival to their celebration in Antarctica.
However, it was the visarjan that caught particular attention online. Instead of taking the idol to a conventional immersion site, the scientists placed the snow-made Ganesha in a bucket of water inside the research station. As the snow came into contact with the water, the idol gradually melted and turned back into water.
Sharing the video, Dhar described the celebration as taking “eco-friendly immersion” to a “whole new extreme” 15,000 km away from home. He called the handmade snow Bappa “about as sustainable as it can get” and ended the caption with “Ganpati Bappa Morya!”
Dhar also shared a humorous observation in the comments: “Despite spending 3 years next to Lalbaug cha Raja at Parel, I had to travel 15,000 kms to attend my first Visarjan.”
The unusual celebration quickly drew attention on social media. Users praised the scientists for keeping the festive spirit alive despite being so far from home, while others were charmed by the snow idol and its unusual immersion. Comments included, “Coolest Bappa ever” and “This is magnificent omg.”
The Antarctic celebration offered a striking glimpse of how Indian traditions can travel even to the most remote corners of the world, with snow, devotion and a distinctly Indian festive spirit coming together at Maitri Station.
