Samatha honours deep-sea diver Athulya with Sagara Award
Samatha, a Thrissur-based collective working for gender justice, presented its Sagara Award to Athulya K.V., India’s first woman commercial deep-sea diver, at a function held
Samatha, a Thrissur-based collective working for gender justice, presented its Sagara Award to Athulya K.V., India’s first woman commercial deep-sea diver, at a function held at Government Victoria College, Palakkad, on Wednesday. The award was presented by Savithri Narayanan, a Kerala-born, Harvard-trained ocean scientist and internationally recognised hydrographer who retired as Director General of Ocean Science and the Canadian Hydrographic Service.
Samatha had honoured Dr. Narayanan, the first woman national hydrographer, with the Sagara Award in 2023 and invited her to present this year’s award to Ms. Athulya. Government Victoria College Principal Maya C. Nair presided over the function and presented mementoes to Dr. Narayanan and Ms. Athulya. Welcoming the gathering, Samatha Managing Trustee T.A. Ushakumari said the organisation was the first in the country to honour both Dr. Narayanan and Ms. Athulya for their contributions to ocean science and commercial diving.
IQAC Coordinator Pradeesh K., College Union representative K. Yadav Krishna and Samatha executive member V.P. Shaniba also spoke. During an interaction that followed, Dr. Narayanan and Ms. Athulya shared their experiences of working in the deep sea. They spoke about the training required for marine expeditions and commercial diving, the challenges of the profession and the importance of ocean research.
They also encouraged young people, especially women, to pursue careers in marine science and other fields where women remain under-represented. K.A. Rasheed, Head of the Department of Zoology, proposed a vote of thanks.
The BriefWire