Bengaluru: Azim Premji University unveils the Coasts & Oceans of Life (COoL), the fourth edition of its annual climate festival. The festival will be open to the public from October 27 to November 8, 2025. Building on the success of earlier editions themed on Rivers, Forests, and Mountains, this year’s festival dives deep into the ecology, livelihoods, and imagination of the seas that shape India.
Drawing on the vibrant spirit of Indian festivals, the Coasts & Oceans of Life blends research, art, and public engagement in a multisensory celebration. Visitors can explore student research exhibits on marine biodiversity and climate change, wander through immersive installations, join storytelling and film sessions, and participate in interactive workshops led by scientists, artists, educators, and community practitioners from across the country.
Among the highlights are sessions such as “Ocean Health and Humans: Pollution, Stories and Solutions” with diver-artist Uma Mani; “Island Systems” with Mariam Ali of the Andamans Conservancy Foundation; “Coastal Resilience” by marine biologist Linoy Libini; and “Fishing and Overfishing” by Mayuresh Gangal from the Nature Conservation Foundation. Other experiential workshops invite participants to create ocean soundscapes, model traditional Uru ships of Beypore, and explore India’s intertidal zones through art and science.
“Our climate festivals are designed to bring the science of climate change to the young children of this nation,” said Dr. Harini Nagendra, Director, School of Climate Change & Sustainability, Azim Premji University. “Each year we choose a landscape that connects ecology, community, and culture. Through art, dialogue, and student research, we hope visitors will experience how deeply the oceans shape every aspect of our lives—and why their conservation is not merely critical for our planet, but our own very survival. This is essentially a celebration of the coasts, the seas and the oceans – of all the communities that live and thrive around them.”
Dr. Richa Govil, Vice Chancellor, Azim Premji University (Bengaluru), added: “The Coasts & Oceans of Life festival reflects our belief that education goes beyond classrooms. When children, college students, and the public engage directly with ideas of sustainability, they begin to see themselves as part of the larger ecological story. Festivals like these inspire curiosity, empathy, and responsibility—values that are central to learning and to building a sustainable future.”
The festival is free and open to the public, welcoming schools, colleges, and community organisations from across Karnataka and beyond. Members of the general public are invited to register for any date between October 27 and November 8, 2025.
- Venue: Azim Premji University, Survey No 66, Burugunte Village, Bikkanahalli Main Road, Sarjapura, Bengaluru 562125
- Dates: October 27 – November 8, 2025
- Time: 9:00 AM onwards
- Entry: Free (registration required)
- Register: https://forms.gle/oy6k9F67Z8N2zWmc9