Sea-ing is believing

Uma Mani, as depicted in the book

It all started with a sarcastic comment. In 2014, Uma Mani was living in the Maldives and had made tentative steps towards building a career as an artist who exhibited paintings of coral reefs. She was at one such show when she went up to a visitor to exchange pleasantries, hoping to make her guest feel welcome. But this woman turned out to be an uppity person who asked Mani, "Have you ever seen a coral yourself?" Mani replied that she hadn't, when the woman told her, "I think you should." The derision left her shocked and startled. But when she reflected on what the woman had said, she realised that even though the person was cold and snobbish, she was right. Mani was painting corals without having actually seen one, which was limiting her work. So, in order to immerse herself in the magical world that exists under water, she decided to learn how to dive. Mani was 49 at the time.

An illustration by Sanket Pethkar

A new illustrated book for children called Coral Woman, published by Harpercollins India, and envisioned by Avid Learning, now follows the journey of this fascinating saree-wearing woman of Tamil origins who epitomises the phrase ‘better late than never'. It's written by Lubaina Bandukwala and illustrated by Sanket Pethkar, and shows how once Mani had decided to learn diving, she realised that there was another hurdle that she'd have to cross first - she'd have to learn how to swim. She thus took classes for six months before getting on a boat that took her out to sea for her first dive. But when the moment of reckoning arrived, she developed cold feet. She felt terrified of jumping in. Eventually, the instructor had to give her a push, literally, and that's when Mani's life underwent a sea change, again quite literally.

Artwork created by children at a workshop conducted around the story, which are printed in the book

She tells us, "When I saw corals for the first time, I also saw how many fish were hovering around them. But my paintings never had any fish till then, which later changed. Being physically present around them made me connect more with the corals and thereon, I started gathering as much information about them as I could. I had had no idea of restoration processes before that and spoke to researchers about the subject, while also spending time in the library reading up on it. Now that I'd had first-hand experience, diving became an obsession that has never stopped since."

Lubaina Bandukwala and Uma Mani

Now, at 56, the sport has taken her to spots around the Subcontinent that encompass three countries - India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. But some experiences have been unsavoury. She tells us about a time when she saw a tortoise refusing to let go of a piece of plastic, thinking that it's food. Then there was the time she saw a beautiful fish swimming around with the strings of a discarded fishing net wrapped around her body. These are all man made reasons affecting the health of not just the species that live under water, but also that of coral reefs. And Mani has now taken on the mantle of doing her bit to protect them, whether it is in her personal space where she harvests rainwater so that there is less rubbish carried out to the sea, or as a person who collaborates with others for active restoration initiatives.

But she is now almost a senior citizen. The future of protecting the world's corals lies on the next generation, and that's where this book comes in. Bandukwala tells us, "I believe that if you want to conserve something, you have to build a relationship with it. This book can be the first window for kids to explore the world of coral reefs, getting curious, asking questions, and then doing whatever it takes to create a healthy coastline." Let's hope that her words come true because otherwise, tortoises will continue to confuse plastic for food and fishes will keep swimming wrapped in strings, and that will be a shame, to say the least.

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