Latest news with #RakshaNagaraj
Mint
3 days ago
- Mint
The healing power of blue: Finding adventures and life lessons in scuba diving
Gift this article One plunge into the ocean is often all it takes to realise how minuscule we are in the colossal universe. For those who have experienced life beneath the surface, the sea is more than just a vast body of water—it's a place of surrender, stillness, and deep perspective. In the deep calm of blue, each breath becomes meditative – therapeutic for the mind and a calming balm for the soul. On the occasion of International Scuba Diving Day, Lounge dives into the stories of people for whom the ocean has become not just a world of adventure but a form of healing. One plunge into the ocean is often all it takes to realise how minuscule we are in the colossal universe. For those who have experienced life beneath the surface, the sea is more than just a vast body of water—it's a place of surrender, stillness, and deep perspective. In the deep calm of blue, each breath becomes meditative – therapeutic for the mind and a calming balm for the soul. On the occasion of International Scuba Diving Day, Lounge dives into the stories of people for whom the ocean has become not just a world of adventure but a form of healing. AN EXERCISE IN EMOTIONAL CLARITY When solo traveller Raksha Nagaraj signed up for her first dive in 2006 at the Netrani Islands, Murdeshwar, Karnataka, she wasn't exactly prepared. 'I went in a T-shirt! Needless to say, it was a horrible experience," she laughs. But the ocean had cast its spell on her and the water kept calling her back. Today, with over 85 dives across 16 countries behind her, the certified diver has seen it all—from manta rays in New Caledonia to delicate sea horses in Australia. She has also co-founded Open Sky Circles, an organisation which offers ocean-based travel experiences, including scuba diving and aquatic adventures. Among all her dives, the one in New Caledonia stands out. 'The instructor spoke French, I spoke English. The boat was rocky, the water freezing, the currents strong and neither of us understood the other… and then, two manta rays circled over me while I knelt on the ocean bed. It was just surreal," she recalls. For Nagaraj, diving offers more than just marine sightings—it brings emotional clarity. 'I have had anxiety and panic attacks and diving has helped me breathe slowly again. It completely calms me down. When you are underwater, you can't do anything else. You have no choice but to focus." Each dive, she observes, is a humbling reminder of how small we are in the grand scheme of things. PUSHES YOU OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE Raksha Rao, the other founder of Open Sky Circles, is a tech creator who got certified in 2017—before scuba made its way into the Instagram holiday checklists. But even now, the nerves never completely go away. 'Every time I'm about to jump in, I feel the jitters. But the moment I descend beneath the surface, it all melts away and I am greeted by the weightlessness, the deafening silence, the endless blue of the ocean and of course, the bursts of life – schools of fish darting past, vibrant corals swaying with the current. It's like entering a whole new world – so humbling, so powerful," she muses. One dive she remembers vividly is from the Maldives. 'We went to a manta ray cleaning station where tiny cleaner wrasse fish clean the rays by removing parasites. This is a symbiotic relationship which is crucial for the health of the manta rays. Divers get to experience this by sitting on the ocean floor and waiting. So, there was an instance when a manta ray glided right on top of me and it was extremely beautiful. These creatures are so massive yet so calm that it feels meditative just to watch them." For her, diving is the ideal wellness holiday. 'It pushes you out of your comfort zone, invites you into a whole new world, and gives you back something that your future self will thank you for," she adds. Akshay AS amidst a school of fishes in Murdeshwar ANCHORS YOU TO THE PRESENT MOMENT This sense of gratitude is something Akshay A S, a dive instructor with Dive India in Murdeshwar, knows intimately. Introduced to scuba diving in 2021, the 26-year-old has since completed over 2,000 dives and feels ocean anchors you to the present moment. 'The water makes you forget everything. You can just breathe in and out—and on tough days, I slip in early before the others arrive, just to hear the sound of the water." However, what truly moves him the most is watching first-timers transform. 'People who are scared of water come up smiling – that's the real high," he shares. Helping people meet the ocean fearlessly with trust and curiosity is also the driving force for dive master and cinematographer Anup Kat, founder of One Ocean One Love, which organises dives primarily in the Maldives. 'Most diving trips are about going deeper. It's about the human psychology behind it —getting someone who's scared to fall in love with the ocean. Once they get past the initial fear, I show them a shark or manta ray," he expresses. But it's more than just the sights. 'To be in the ocean, you have to drop your ego and surrender to nature. It's like a human relationship—you cannot fight –you pause, you adjust, you move with care. That's where the magic lies," he reflects. 'For me, it's 100% therapeutic. I feel like I'm giving back to the ocean." The mystic Sufi poet Rumi once said, 'You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop." Perhaps that is the quiet magic of diving. In the stillness below, we're reminded that we're part of something much bigger—and yet, deeply connected. Deepa Natarajan Lobo is an independent journalist based in Bengaluru. Topics You May Be Interested In
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
No private walking tours in Cubbon Park: Horticulture Dept.
After beginning its guided walking tour, Cubbon Walks, a week ago, the Horticulture Department has now halted private walking tours inside the Cubbon Park. For years now, many private groups organised guided walks, including heritage walks, at the park. A recent government order specified the dos and don'ts of Cubbon Park that in order to conduct any activities that involve more than 20 people, prior permission should be taken. Authorities have now said that private walking tours inside the park will not be allowed for the time being. 'I received a call three days ago from the officials of the Horticulture Department asking me to cancel the heritage walk that was organised at the park during the weekend. They asked me to refund the money to those who had made the bookings and that I did not have permission to conduct the walk. I was also told to take down all the social media posts and blogs related to the heritage walks,' said Raksha Nagaraj, founder of Bengaluru Prayana. We did not want to discourage the public from creating awareness about the history and flora and fauna of the Cubbon Park, however it should not be organised in the form of commercial programmes, the officials said. 'The rules clearly say that prior permission should be taken before conducting commercial activities inside the park. Now even if private parties approach us to organise walks or other activities, we will not give them permission as we have to hold some discussions regarding this with our higher authorities and the Cubbon Park Conservation Committee,' said G. Kusuma, deputy director, Cubbon Park, Horticulture Department. Ms. Kusuma said, 'We have no objections, if someone wants to do it for free. If the same people who are conducting private tours want to be integrated with our tours as guides, then we will see how we can accommodate that too. But we do not want people to make money using the name of Cubbon Park. This is not just for walking tours, we are not permitting any commercial activities in Cubbon Park, including yoga and meditation.' The organisers of the private walking tour opined that not permitting other groups to conduct tours in the public park results in a monopoly like set up, especially since Cubbon Walks, organised by the Department, also charges ₹200.
