Getting ready to checkmate under seawater

The government of the Maldives made waves last year by holding a cabinet meeting underwater to highlight the threat of global warming to the low-lying Indian Ocean nation.

President Mohamed Nasheed and his cabinet had signed a document calling for global cuts in carbon emissions. Ministers spent half an hour on the sea bed, communicating with white boards and hand signals.

A recent underwater event in Odisha capital Bhubaneshwar had no such lofty vision, but had its own goal. It was a rare ‘get together’ of three ‘prominent personalities’ from different fields. Cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and great spiritual leader Swami Vivekananda were at a hotel swimming pool in Bhubaneswar. Well, they were not real stars but were there for a unique event - an under the water fashion-cum-costume dress show staged in the temple city. The first of its kind in the country, the event - organised by Cuttack-based scuba diver Sabir Bux and his team from Kalinga Divers’ Foundation Trust (KDFT) - was to popularise scuba diving among boys and girls. The show turned out to be a grand success.

Those who were present at the event included representatives of the Limca Book of Records. “We have been assured by the officials of the Limca Book of Records that the show will get a place in the next edition of the record book which is scheduled to be published early next year”, said KDFT’s executive director Mohd. Sakeel.

However, a place in the record book is nothing new for Bux, a mechanical engineer by profession who had begun scuba diving just as a hobby while working in Saudi Arabia a few years ago and got himself trained in the water sport subsequently in the United Kingdom. His name already figures in the Limca Book of Records twice - for celebrating country’s Independence Day under the water holding the Indian tri-colour (the event was staged in Raipur, the capital of neighbouring state of Chhattisgarh) and shooting a jingle under the water wishing Indian cricket team best of luck on the eve of the first 20-20 World Cup staged in South Africa.

Bux currently trains boys and girls in the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. He is planning to teach tricks and methods of scuba diving by holding camps at regular intervals. “The interest for scuba diving is immense, especially among the boys and girls as well as kids”, says the 44-year-old scuba diver.

He and his team from the KDFT are now planning to organise similar under water fashion-cum-costume shows in different cities in the country. “We will be organising a similar event in Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal soon”, said Sakeel.

The KDFT would not be confining itself to these costume shows alone. It has got several other “under the water” event ideas up its sleeves. They include a game of chess by KDFT members under water in the Bay of Bengal.

Bux and his colleagues have already gone for a dress rehearsal of the event inside the turbulent sea near Gopalpur in southern Odisha district of Ganjam. The dress rehearsal continued for over three hours. However, the final show of the unique event has been put on hold due to lack of sponsorship.

“We are hopeful of finding a sponsor and go ahead with the event in the coming days”, said Sakeel.

The trust is also contemplating to stage exhibition of photos taken by Bux during his forays into the deep seas not only in India but also in several other places abroad. These exhibitions will be staged in different cities within the country and outside.

As part of its social service activities, KDFT had also extended its helping hand during the Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri this year. Its members who were on guard in the Puri sea beach rescued 13 devotees from drowning while taking bath.