GEETHA PLACKAL, PH.D.
MARINE BIOLOGIST, INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER, DIRECTOR AT WORLD ALLIANCE FOR PLANETARY HEALTH, FOUNDER Of MIRROR OF EARTH & ECOCEANAURA
Dr. Geetha Plackal is a marine biologist and zoologist from Kochi, Kerala, India, with a Ph.D. in Zoology (Marine and Estuarine Benthic Ecology and Taxonomy). Her expertise spans marine, estuarine, mangrove and wetland EIA, benthic ecology and aquatic biodiversity, climate literacy, ocean literacy, and sustainability.
She is the Founder of Mirror of Earth and Ecoceanaura, initiatives dedicated to wildlife and marine conservation, ocean literacy and land-sea education. She serves as Director at World Alliance for Planetary Health, Environmental Director at Ocean Integrity and is an International Speaker on ocean conservation, plastic pollution, and climate action.
A member and Ambassador of 25+ national and international organizations, she works at the intersection of science, art, and storytelling to heal our oceans and nature. She is currently authoring her book, Blue Heart of Mother Earth (Proposed working title).
She believes science without compassion is incomplete, and that God is experienced through human kindness. Beyond science, she is a music lover, artist, storyteller, and mother who finds divinity in everyday acts of love. Her life motto: Protect • Respect • Coexist • Preserve.
God is in Every Act of Kindness
GEETHA PLACKAL, Ph.D.
I believe God Almighty is everywhere. I do not see God restricted by a church, a temple, or the pages of holy scriptures. I discern the divine in the very air we breathe, in the love we share, in the boundless rhythm of nature, and most importantly, in other people.
In my life, I have lived through moments that proved to me—beyond a shadow of a doubt—that God exists.
There were times when I was drowning in struggles, crying alone in the dark from the heavy pains of failure, helplessness, and the agony of watching my loved ones suffer. In those precise moments, when I thought no one was coming, God appeared.
God did not descend with wings. Instead, He materialized through human hands and ordinary actions. A stranger who offered help without asking anything in return. A friend who called at the exact moment I needed to hear a voice. A nurse who stayed long past her shift to comfort a frightened patient. A child's sudden smile that gave me the raw strength to move forward. In every single one of them, I saw the face of God.
As a marine scientist, I spend my days exploring the deep. Every day I witness the strict limits of science and the limitlessness of divine grace in the ocean. No matter how much I study intricate, complex ecosystems, I cannot even begin to create the miraculous life force that drives them. That hope, that healing, comes from somewhere far beyond us. It comes from God.
God exists to give us love, care, and support to move forward. He does not always remove our pain, but He always sends someone to hold our hand while we walk through the harsh storms and discomfort.
Nowadays, love, happiness, and kindness are diminishing. Our world is largely driven by money and consumed by greed. Fracturing wars, bitter competition, jealousy, and hate are leading it toward destruction. I wish the world would learn about love, kindness, and their importance to maintain peace. If the world needs to learn one thing, it is this: love and kindness between each other and towards all other living things is what makes this world alive and thrive. God is love and love is absolutely everything. It is the most powerful force for peace and happiness that we possess.
So if I had one minute with God in an elevator, I would simply say: “Thank you. Thank you for never leaving us alone, for coming to us through other humans, and for giving me the chance to be a small instrument of Your love to others.”
God is not somewhere far away. God is here, everywhere, within and all around us, waiting in every act of kindness.