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