‘Never thought I’d see octopus change colour in front of me, at Juhu beach’

A journalist and editor, SEJAL MEHTA has for the last four years walked the shores across India looking for creatures in intertidal zones—spaces explorable upon the retrieval of high tides. By virtue of traversing the sea as well the shores, the life forms found in intertidal spaces are blessed with features that appear otherworldly. In an interview with PREETHA BANERJEE, Mehta talks about her walks and the sightings that resulted in her book Superpowers on the Shore. Excerpts:

- PREETHA BANERJEE

The book is not strictly non-fiction. What is your reason behind this treatment?

The idea was to use both science and humour. So while each chapter has facts, it is laced with anecdotes and then to drive the point home, little fictional stories where the creatures take centre stage by using their superpowers. I do not read a lot of nonfiction, and I never read science literature for leisure. My attention wanders too quickly and I lose interest if there aren’t stories and characters to keep me engrossed. I thought there must be more readers like me—who love knowing about the wild, but might not be equipped to take on research in the traditional way it is written. I wrote the book I would like to read.

Does school curriculum make us inquisitive about marine ecology? What piqued your interest?

It does whet our appetites. Now, I would love to see science as a subject, not just marine biology, taught by using a lot from what is around us, even references from pop culture, or relatable tools. Not to take away from the current methods, but perhaps an inclusion in the form of humour, storytelling.

Many of your walks were in urban spaces, such as the Juhu beach—places where even nature enthusiasts admitted to have never looked closely for marine life. How do you think this lack of awareness may have impacted research and conservation?