Paavima
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[paavima.org] is a not-for-profit independent group of volunteers comprised of international artists, [PADI] dive instructors, business people and philanthropic souls focused on bringing creative and economic support to tsunami affected villagers of southern Sri Lanka.
paavima is a Sinhala word analogous to the English term 'buoyancy'. The paavima project revolves around the ocean and in large part on diving as the means used to bring assistance to a community in need. In diving, mastery of buoyancy is key and a skill one never ceases to refine. The paavima project seeks to bring buoyancy, in the most positive meaning of the word ([resilience or cheerfulness]) to a community struck by tragic and unfortunate circumstances, including the tsunami of 2004.
As part of their relief plan paavima.org's team is creating an underwater [memorial]. It is intended to commemorate the tragic loss of life brought about by the tsunami and to promote a place of healing by generating life where now there is none.
The concept for the paavima memorial stems from the gesture of offering a flower as a sign of respect and remembrance. The chosen flower is a lotus, which holds special significance in Sri Lankan culture and it is widely regarded as a symbol of purity and creation. In Buddhism, the flower's capacity to grow even in the midst of swampy waters is representative of every person's inner capacity to reach enlightment. The memorial's lotus shape will be achieved by positioning [reefballs] in such a pattern, 20 meters under the surface. The underwater structure will have a diameter of 60mts, will have a mass equivalent to almost 15,000 tons of natural reef and be able to support more than 400 tons of fish per year.
paavima.org's program has also established a ['volunteer while traveling'] program that aligns with the slow travel philosophy.
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