Pooja Banerjee related her experience as a swimmer on World Oceans Day. The actress highlighted the importance of the oceans in our life and what we can do to save them.
Every year on June 8, the World Oceans Day is celebrated. The main goal of celebrating this day is to spread awareness to preserve the purity of ocean water and protect life.
The actress is known for her natural performance in the drama KumKum Bhagiya in which she stars as Rhea.
In an exclusive interview with Pinkvilla, Pooja said, "Oceans are really important not just for us, but for the environment as well. I've been swimming in the ocean since I was in 4th grade and kept doing it on a regular basis until the 9th grade. In fact, I started once again in 2012 for a competition and while I swam without practice and it was a fantastic experience, I am sure others would find it difficult. This is because of the amount of rubbish I encountered in the ocean as well as the oil in it. My face was covered in oil when I swam and I have to say, it was disgusting. Just imagine, if I was in the water for a few hours and I felt it disgusting, then what would the marine animals be going through.”
She continued, “I remember, whenever we used to go for swims, we used to be stationed in the ocean at night and early in the morning, we used to hit the water and after 5 to 6 hours of swimming, each one of us would return with bags of garbage. We would dispose of the waste properly on land and that way I felt like I was making a difference. We have seen and heard about how oceanic pollution has led to a decline in aquatic life, but there I was experiencing it and I am sure this, in turn, will come to affect us as well in due course of time.”
She concluded, “I strongly believe that we should start from a young age and get kids to go on expeditions to the sea once and be made aware of the importance of oceans and how to help save them.”
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