India is a surf destination, but many don’t know it yet. Photo: Ali Imran K
Competitive surfing, live concerts, free surf lessons, skateboarding, yoga, fresh fish and an appearance by South African cricket star Jonty Rhodes. This is but a small part of what will go down in Kovalam, India, this weekend. The occasion is India’s first national-level surfing competition ever, called Covelong Point Classic Surf Contest and Festival, thanks to Murthy Megavan.
Murthy Megavan dreamed up the idea of a surf school six years ago after the 2004 tsunami destroyed everything he held dear. He saw tourists surfing and decided to give it a shot himself. He didn’t learn on a fiberglass surfboard or even a pop-out. Rather, Murthy’s first wave was on a piece of driftwood. From then on, his goal was set. He caught the bug and wished to infect others so that they might understand what it is to ride a wave. Unfortunately, his ambitions were met with pessimism and a believe-it-when-we-see-it attitude.
Murthy wasn’t disuaded. He founded Covelong Point, a social surfing school this past November. Since then, he has taught roughly 200 now-surfers free of charge in the past eight months on the conditions that they forever swear not to touch drugs and alcohol, participate in beach cleanups and regularly attend school. His surf school has advanced the social dynamic of the village considerably and has also funded the educations of 25 of the village’s students. When the kids are done in the classroom, they take to the waves. Even with a lack of surf smarts, there is no shortage of eagerness to learn. Still, there is lots to be done and the potential for growth of surf culture in India is large given the vast coastline and booming population. It is no secret that Murthy has his work cut out for him.
Regardless of the currently diminutive size of Indian surf culture, the Surfing Federation of India (SFI), headed by Kishore Kumar, is behind the event 100 percent. Kumar realizes the benefits of hosting a surfing festival both economically and socially. As one of India’s premiere surf destinations, Kovalam will benefit due to the influx of money and foreign surf culture that will pour into the fishing village September 27-29. With bands like Live Banned, Skrat, Mahesh Vinayakram and DJ Shiva Moon, among others, performing, about 100 Indian surfers traveling to participate, 25 international surfers jetting over, and an aesthetic transformation of the beach area, the event is set to draw the kind of crowd that Megavan is hoping will bring surf/beach culture to his little village and do what fishing has not. But of course, he also has his fingers tightly crossed for some waves–the pièce de résistance.
If you are in Kovalam, India, this weekend, or if you know someone who will be there, the Covelong Point Classic Surf Contest and Festival is more than worth it. Get down there and take part in Indian surf history.
