The Twenty-three-year-old Mumbai girl Vidhi Bubna is offering India’s first and only diving grant to explore the marine ecosystem.
Vidhi’s first diving experience turned out to be a heartbreaking one. While she expected a lot of colors underwater as she had seen on TV, Vidhi came across all white corals (珊瑚), which means they are almost dead from being bleached (褪色).
“It was very sad and I just started crying after coming out of the water,” she says.
Vidhi, an economics graduate from Ashoka University, did not enjoy working with numbers and turned to writing about social issues, including women’s rights and minority issues.
As an adventure lover, Vidhi went diving to explore the underwater beauty last year. Her disappointment at seeing dying corals led to the start of Coral Warriors, anon-profit organization that aims to raise awareness of marine protection and climate change.
“Nobody knows about climate change till they see it,” Vidhi says. The Mumbai-based organisation offers India’s first and only diving grant. The grant sponsors level-one scuba diving education in any location of their choice in India. While there is no specific standard, Vidhi says the selection process is strict, choosing candidates who are passionate about climate change and seeing that they do something of their choice. Four candidates have been awarded the grant so far and the organisation hopes to find at least five people every year.
“After the candidates return, we expect them to work on a climate change project of their choice, create communities, and work to create awareness and drive action-centric projects,” she explains.
Prior to starting coral warriors, Vidhi was hosting free online workshops to spread awareness of marine biodiversity and climate change, and has reached about 5, 000 people through them.
As a next step, Vidhi is planning to work on documentaries with high-quality underwater images and videos, considering not many can afford or have the courage to go diving to see what is happening underwater.
24. How did Vidhi feel on her first diving?
A.Excited. | B.Upset. | C.Awesome. | D.Awkward. |
25. Why did Vidhi set up Coral Warriors?
A.To focus more attention on social issues. |
B.To further explore the underwater beauty. |
C.To fuel people’s enthusiasm for adventure. |
D.To make an appeal for marine conservation. |
26. What are candidates expected to do?
A.To help promote people’s sense of community. |
B.To choose whatever they are passionate about. |
C.To meet specific and strict selection standards. |
D.To undertake activities relevant to climate change. |
27. What will Vidhi do to protect marine biodiversity?
A.Ahoot documentaries. | B.Tackle climate change. |
C.Encourage people to dive. | D.Host free online workshops. |