In 1982, an Indian team of scientists made it, for the first time, to Antarctica, the southern frozen continent — and the man who led the squad was Syed Zahoor Qasim. Since then, the country has made great strides both in polar science and logistics, thanks to a judicious and harmonious blend of multi-institutional expertise enabled by the Department of Ocean Development. During Qasim's tenure as Secretary of the Department, seven more expeditions to the icy continent were organised successfully.
A relatively young science in India, oceanography is multidisciplinary in nature and Qasim has the distinction of opening up, through his pioneering studies, avenues for research in such fields as marine science and environment and conservation of endangered eco-systems like mangrove and coral reefs.
Besides tracing the life and career of Qasim, this biographical account speaks in detail about the Antarctica expedition and his academic contributions. Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai notes, in his foreword, that the book would serve as a “motivation for all who aspire to pursue righteous ambitions for some higher causes.”
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