National Centre For Antartic Ocean Research

Our place is called Bismi Manzil and we are located in Kallidukkil, Manalimukku. It’s near the Venjaramoodu post office in Trivandrum, Kerala. This is where we handle things for the National Centre for Antarctic Ocean Research. It might seem strange to have an Antarctic research office in such a tropical place like Kerala, but this is where we do our work. The building is an older house style, not a modern glass office. We have a few rooms filled with books, maps, and research papers. It gets very humid here, so we have to be careful with the documents. We have a small yard with some plants that we try to keep alive. Most of us have been working here for years. We aren't a big team. We mostly talk about ocean currents and ice even while we are looking at palm trees outside the window. It’s a quiet neighborhood for the most part. We start early in the morning before it gets too hot. There is a lot of reading and writing involved in what we do. We don't have any flashy signs out front. If you are looking for us, just ask for Bismi Manzil. We are just a group of people interested in the sea and the far south. We make our own tea and sometimes share a meal in the afternoon. It’s a simple, honest way to work and it suits us fine.