The Man with Gills Umeed Mistry

The first time I speak with him, he is at far sea in a different time zone, and I have to wait about a week before we finally connect again. This time, he tells me he is standing atop a rock in a far Andamanese island, and I can barely hear him although I smile at that blessed aloofness. Another day, another remote terrain, where there is no internet and our messages get delivered in a timezone of their own, almost as if he dwells in another world. A world so fascinating and inspiring that even as the last of our conversations is left broken, he is busy fixing the earth, one dive at a time.

Umeed’s work involves engaging with marine and freshwater ecosystems and creating an awareness about these in more ways than one – he facilitates important global R&D, art residencies and educational programmes at EarthCoLab; he is an award-winning photographer and filmmaker; and an underwater scuba specialist who turns adventure into constructive learning aimed at conservation. 

Earth CoLab is now a two-year-old enterprise that brings together diverse individuals, institutions, and knowledge to develop new approaches that cultivate a sense of biophilia. ‘The five partners of EarthColab were part of a team that ran a field station in the Andamans for many years. When we left from there, we knew that we wanted to continue doing similar work to what we had been doing - creating pedagogic approaches and experiences that encouraged people to engage with various ecosystems while furthering their own interests and learning from peers across disciplines. We firmly believe that it is important to bridge the gap between science and art. And to learn holistically about our connections with our surroundings from multiple points of view and experiences,’ he shares.

Among one of its very interesting innovations is the Swamp Tuner. This two-part device - 'the helmet' and the 'spider' - are both outfitted with a number of sensors designed to extend the range of your ability to observe a swamp ecosystem. While technology today tends to breed isolation, this hack is intended to enhance our engagement with the living environment around us. Built through a series of DIY sessions by EarthCoLab and ISRO (Indian Sonic Research Organisation) in Bangalore, the construction of Swamp Tuner involved building and calibrating different sensors to measure specific environmental parameters. What’s more – if you look at it, it is an art installation in motion!

The other ways that he submerges himself are just as passionate. Combining his academic background with his artistic appetite, he picked up the camera under water and has gone on to shoot inspiring pictures that have been featured in the best outdoor publications across the world. ‘I started shooting images in Jan 2005, when I was working as a dive instructor on Bangaram Island, in the Lakshadweep. What started as a desire to share images of the underwater world with people who didn't understand what I did quickly became a passion - one that has extended into nature photography as a whole. As my images started getting used in magazine articles and books, I began to realise the power of photography. I enjoy this medium - both the creation of images and the stories that I can tell with them.’ These stories are sometimes aimed at scientific documentation and at other times for aesthetic viewing, and he also conducts specialised underwater photography courses with this twin approach.

One thing that has shaped his multi-disciplinary journey through the toughest waters is that he wasn’t afraid, quite literally, to take the plunge. ‘My first experience being on scuba was in the Maldives in 1996, but I remember it vividly. Aside from the newness of everything and the need to manage all the equipment underwater, I remember feeling a great sense of peace and an immediate connection to that space. I also was immeasurably awestruck by the things that I saw. I knew immediately that I wanted to spend as much time underwater as I could. This was a pivotal moment in my life and it has shaped so much of what I do, both professionally and personally,’ recalls the PADI staff instructor.

True to his name, Umeed is all things hope in a world gone horribly wrong. A naturalist, adventurer, artist and teacher, he follows a simple philosophy: ‘To capture the sublime, be the leaves when in the forest and the water when in the sea.’ 


Text Soumya Mukerji