An Indian Perspective on Antarctic Geopolitics: Balancing Between Normative and Instrumental Imperatives

India’s approach towards Antarctic geopolitics is shaped by a combination of scientific, geographic, historical, political, and legal factors. From a largely postcolonial outlook, exemplified by the “Question of Antarctica” in the UN in the 1950s, India’s relationship with the region has transformed over time, especially with its multifaceted engagement with the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS). The shifts in India’s Antarctic engagement have been aided by its techno-scientific advancements (particularly research bases), thereby also bolstering its instrumental imperatives, apart from its normative commitments towards environmental protection and conservation. In this context, the chapter provides a historical overview of India’s engagement with Antarctic matters through scientific, resource, and foreign policy lenses. Linking the domestic with the international realms, it delves into the Indian Antarctic Act 2022, which reinforces India’s commitment to the ATS and, simultaneously, projects its broader geopolitical aspirations beyond the scientific-legal dynamics. While India has no territorial ambitions in Antarctica, its interest in the region’s resources, climate change, and other environmental aspects; the geographic proximity between the Indian Ocean and the Southern Ocean; and the evolving geopolitical scenario (influenced by militarisation discourses and systemic rivalry between the West and Russia-China duo among others) will influence its outlook towards the “white continent”.