India observes World Oceans Day: Government, Mamata Banerjee, Alia Bhatt, Sadhguru and others mark the occasion

Treading on a very sensitive path to keep up with contemporary issues, the theme for 2019’s World Oceans Day is “Gender and Oceans”. The theme will focus on exploring the gender dimension of human beings' relationship with the ocean. It will also find ways to promote gender equality in activities related to oceans.

World Ocean Day is observed on the 8 June every year, where initiatives and awareness campaigns are held across the world to spread the message about the conservation of the ocean and its resources and to discuss the hazards that pollute the oceans and means to downsize these hazards.  

Several leaders and personalities took to Twitter to observe and spread the importance and awareness of the day, while also pledging to limit the use of pollution-causing hazardous substances.  

The Press Information Bureau put out the following:

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted on the eve of the occasion, pledging to use environment-friendly products that cause lesser pollution and harm to the oceans.

Several other big figures in the Indian sub-continent put forward their thoughts on the World Ocean Day, appreciating the ocean as the basis for the existence of humankind and urging the citizens to conserve the fast-depleting ocean resources due to uncontrollable and increased human activities.

Spiritual figure Sadhguru told his followers to nurture the immense force bestowed in the oceans and reiterated that human life evolved from the oceans.  

Famous sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik, known for his spectacular sand arts usually themed around important issues, has made one of his iconic ocean themed installation on the Puri beach.

Alia Bhatt also marked the occasion:

Punjabi singer Daler Mehendi urged his fans to stop the use of plastic, which is choking the oceans and made a rallying call to put an end to the menace

Coastal Students Cultural Forum, an indigenous group of students who promote ocean literacy has partnered with Friends of Marine Life and the gram panchayats in Kerala and will be visiting schools and colleges to promote ocean literacy and spread awareness about conservation of ocean resources. In Kozhikode, Kerala, a school is organizing a campaign to protect the dolphin species in the Arabian Sea.  

Across India in various coastal cities such as Chennai, Mumbai, and Panjim, beach cleaning initiatives have been organized to spread the awareness about maintaining the cleanliness of the ocean, essential for the marine species.  

A World Ocean Day Conference was held at UN Headquarters on 7 June. The participants across the world shared their views on the knowledge in building greater ocean and to promote gender equality in ocean-related activities.

The theme of World Oceans Day 2018 was “Preventing plastic pollution and encouraging solutions for a healthy ocean”.