Competitive surfing might not be a major part of India’s sporting landscape, but the sport washed ashore on the country’s beaches in a big way several decades ago. Surfers from various nations such as Australia and USA have been rushing to beaches in South India for its ‘radical’ waves since the 1960s.
It was only a matter of time and natural progression before locals would take to the sport. However, what makes Indian surfing particularly interesting is the way it has managed to empower one particular community that is often ignored in the mainstream realm.
Trending
Last month, the International Olympic Council (IOC) announced that it has shortlisted surfing as one of the potential sports to be included in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. India might not be favourites to win a medal, but the growth trajectory of the sport here has been phenomenal. From existing as a small underground movement led by a handful of people to hosting the Asian Championship this year, Indian surfing has come a long way.
And pioneering the charge is none other than the country’s fishermen community, who have taken to surfing as an alternate source of livelihood. One of Indian surfing’s poster boys since its competitive inception is Murthy Megavan, who accidently bumped into the sport.
How the community was introduced to surfing
A man known as ‘Surfing Swami’ has been involved in the sport’s growth in India. He founded the Surfing Swami Foundation and Ashram, which has been training young kids to surf since early 2001.
For close to three years, Surfing Swami and his crew wandered across south India looking for the best waves in the country. In 2002, while exploring the coast of Tamil Nadu, the group landed in Covelong. This is where they met the young fisherman named Murthy.
Murthy curiously walked up to Surfing Swami, asking him whether he could give surfing a shot. In his first attempt, the 21-year-old managed to ride one of the biggest waves the Covelong beach had ever seen. Speaking about that experience Murthy said, “I had no idea what surfing was, but when we were taught how to fish at a young age, we used to use broken wooden doors to fish, so we learned how to balance in the water. When I got on the board it didn’t feel that difficult at all.”
Former Indian surfing captain Kiran Kumar, who was present on the day, said, “We were all shocked! I mean, we were training for so many years, but here we have this guy, who comes and rides the biggest waves at his very first attempt. Sadly, over time, we couldn’t stay in touch with him.”
However, Murthy didn’t give up hope. He continued practising this new sport with makeshift equipment.
In 2003, the then 23-year-old Murthy had spent all his savings of Rs 2,500 on a rusty second hand surfing board. He said, “I used to practise everyday on the board. A few years later, Covelong became a tourist spot and people from not just abroad, but even within India started coming. They saw me surf and that motivated me to become a professional.”
His family, which consisted of his grandmother and sisters, completely disapproved of his newfound passion. Murthy’s parents had left the family when he was in the fourth grade, and after that he made a living by catching fish. Hence, his income was very important for his family.
By 2008, Murthy had made surfing his profession, doing it for a living. It was around this time that he met another avid surfer named Yothamagam. He said, “After so many years of using that board, it was on the verge of breaking. So my friend Yothamagam bought me a new professional board. He came like a guardian angel in my life and since then my performances have also got better.”
Murthy started winning national tournaments in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, and his exploits garnered widespread media attention across the world. Filmmakers flocked to make documentaries about his life story. One of these films was seen by renowned Chennai-based businessman T T Krishnamachari, who decided to sponsor him.
With all the financial assistance that came his way, Murthy has set up the Covelong Surf School, which teaches young fishermen's kids. From 2010 onwards, Murthy’s surf school has been winning awards across all junior categories, with he himself being a stalwart within the Senior group.
He said, “When I started the surf school in my village, we didn’t have a proper school. My aim was to give an alternative to the kids, apart from fishing. I gifted them 10 to 15 boards and now there is also a proper school. So the kids, apart from being aspiring pro surfers, will also have a good education. They also get the right to choose.”
Murthy’s rise within India’s surfing hierarchy has seen him reprsent the country several times. Most recently, he donned the Indian colours at the 2014 Asian Championship in Bali, Indonesia.
He said, “Surfing is not just a sport, there is an incredible spirituality attached to it. It is the closest you can get to mother nature and be synchronised with her. Little more than a decade ago, I had nothing more than catching fish in my life. The closer I got to nature, the more success it bought me. We must learn how to take care of nature.”
Dominance of domestic circuit and alternative source of livelihood
This year, through his accumalatated finances, Murthy has opened a social service school in his village. The school educates all the kids from the village including the ones who surf.
These kids have been dominating the domestic tournaments, winning all the available titles this year. Murthy said, “We are the best in the country, there is no question about it. With the proper guidance, by 2020, we should have Indian representation at the Olympics.”
The Covelong village is slowly becoming the mecca of surfing in India. It recently hosted the Asian Championship, which saw the best players from across the continent participate. That was a great experience as a lot of young kids as well as seniors got to compete against the finest surfers in the world, giving them much-needed experience in their race for Olympic glory.
Now, the Surfing Federation of India (SFI) is looking to bring in a better structure to the sport. Kiran Kumar from the SFI said, “50% of the surfers in India are fishermen. Like how boxing is in the USA for a lot of communities, surfing at least in certain parts of India is slowly becoming that. We will be trying out best to tap this potential.”
The SFI plans to start hosting International Surfing Federations (ISF) tournaments very soon. Accreditation will see the best surfers from not just Asia, but all around the world come down to India.
Kumar added, “The most recent Asian level tournament saw India get 20 wildcards. We divided it across all categories, so that the top surfers got as much exposure as possible. SFI is trying to create a professional structure, so that India can send a surfer to the Olympics by 2020.”
Meanwhile, Murthy has successfully set up an ecosystem by which he is not only passing on his surfing legacy to other fishermen, but also making sure that the future generations of his village are educated. With less than five years to go for the 2020 Olympics, India’s surfing dream seems to be in good hands.
