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Artist Uma Mani, who paints corals, started deep-sea diving at 49 and is now a PADI-certified scuba diver.
She is working to create awareness and gather youth ambassadors for the cause of conserving corals, through cinema and other art forms.
A documentary film Coral Woman based on Uma’s life, directed by award-winning filmmaker Priya Thuvassery, has bagged the Woodpecker Film Festival 2019, Tulum World Environment Film Festival Awards and other prestigious national film festivals. |
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Uma Mani, in her 50s, is a Chennai-based self-taught artist. She used to paint tulips and roses until 2010, the year in which she learned about coral reefs in Juan De Nova, a French documentary film, screened by Alliance Française Maldives for Earth Day. Fascinated by the world of corals and underwater life, she decided to paint them. “Until then, I was unaware of the fact that the presence of corals in the ocean is extremely important. It made me realise that they are on the brink of extinction,” shares Mani. |
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