Now India too has growing tribe of surfers

"Imagine yourself sitting on your surfboard among the waves as the sun is set to rise early in the morning. The sun's rays are bouncing off the face of the waves as sets of four- and five-foot surf come rolling through. The wind is slightly in your face as you turn your board to paddle for an incoming wave. Three robust strokes and you are in. Going down the face of the wave, you jump to your feet, so focused in what you are doing that everything outside that moment vanishes. Ceases to exist. Ten seconds or so later, the ride is over and the rest of the world reappears."

These are the words of 68-year-old Jack Hebner, a "hybrid, a tie-up, a total mix of Indian and American values".
Better known in India's gradually exploding surf community as the 'Surfing Swami', Hebner is the man who, when he first visited India nearly four decades ago in 1976, was confident that its coast was surf-worthy. "The first beach I explored for surfing was Jagannath Puri in Odisha and later Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu," says Hebner. "Since then, I have explored all the beaches from Kolkata to Kanyakumari and from Kanyakumari to Dwarka. Not only is the surf available in India the best, but it is also world-class surf by any measure."

His solitary adventures across India's coast during his multiple visits to India prompted Hebner to start what became India's first surfing club, Mantra, in Mulki, a small town on Karnataka's coast, about 376 km west of Bangalore, in 2002.
"It was very difficult to bridge the gap between the locals and surfing," admits Hebner. "They loved to stand on the water's edge and watch me surf, shouting, laughing and having a great time. But when I would suggest that they try it too, they would run away. The mothers were especially afraid of allowing children into the ocean."

Much has changed in Mulki, and across the coast in India in the last decade. Not only are young boys and girls from villages venturing into the sea to take a go at the adventure sport, but at least a dozen surf schools have opened shop; girls as young as 13 years old are winning surf competitions; enthusiasts are not only teaching others how to surf but are also making and selling surf boards and surf-inspired apparel; by extension, small companies are making surf boards in India; at least one professional photographer has dedicated himself to capturing surf photos; there are surf events and festivals galore; and if all goes well, India will soon get its first national surf team.

The stage is set
There are plenty of reasons why surfing has been gaining popularity in India. For starters, India's 7,200-km coastline ensures that surfing as a sport is accessible to a wide range of populace. The east and west coasts throw up waves that are ripe for beginners as well as for advanced surfers. All a beginner needs is a surf board — often provided by surf schools — which can cost anything from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000.
"There is an overwhelming number of people from all walks of life who are taking to surfing. The ocean, truly, is for everyone. That's the beauty of surfing," says Kishore Kumar, president of Surfing Federation of India and an early student of Hebner's. "Surfing isn't an expensive sport as compared to other water sports. It's just you and your surf board in the ocean."

As with most things in life, the younger crowd is far more enthusiastic to take to the new sport. Raffael Kably is one such person who embraced surfing and the lifestyle that came along with it. The 25-year-old self-confessed "Bandra boy" who worked 12-hour days in an ad production house gave it all up soon after his first surfing lesson in Udupi, Karnataka, in 2010. "Upon returning to Bombay, all I could think about was surfing," says Kably. "I used to constantly wonder if surfing was possible at Bandra bandstand or at Juhu. But my next surfing lesson only happened in Auroville, Pondicherry."

By this time, Kably was so hooked to surfing that he decide to move to Varkala, Kerala, to focus entirely on surfing for a few months. As the months elapsed, Kably came to enjoy the activity so much that he set up home and hearth in Varkala. He now works as a surf instructor in Varkala, and alongwith his 28-year-old girlfriend Jill, has founded Go Left, a surf-inspired apparel start-up. Ask him why he enjoys surfing as much as he does, and pat comes the reply: "I'm an absolutely water baby and love the ocean. And also because you learn so much when you are suefing. You learn something new with every wave. Every movement in the water, even when you paddle out, you get to learn. Surfing is a meditative experience."
Does he not miss his city life? "Sometimes, I miss having a regular social life, but I don't miss it enough to want to leave all this" he says, referring to the "good-quality of life" and the "work-life balance" he enjoys in Varkala. 

In the spotlight
Both Kably and Hebner agree that India is at a crest. "Ten years ago, you could barely round up a dozen surfers. When we hold a surf contest now, about 200 kids and adults show up to participate," says Hebner.
Not just the locals, but surfers from other countries too have been coming to Indian shores to participate in surf festivals and competitions. For instance, when the first India Surf Festival was held in February 2012, the event attracted 38 participants. In its fourth edition, held last month, 80 surfers from 14 countries rode the waves at the Ramchandi Beach in Konark, Odisha. "At least 30% of the participants at the festival were international surfers," says Sanjay Samantaray, one of the organisers of India Surf Festival 2015.

The other big surfing event in India's calendar is the Covelong Point Surf & Music Festival, at Covelong village in Tamil Nadu. Backed by the Surfing Federation of India, Covelong Point was first held in 2013. "We run a national level surfing contest during the day and have some amazing music bands play live in the evening," says SFI's Kumar. "There are plenty of other activities too throughout the day that attract large crowds to the beach."
Apart from the two festivals, other events, such as the Spice Coast Open in Kerala and the Manapad Classic inTamil Nadu, too are held. "The most exciting part of the Indian surfing scene is that quite a few talented youngsters are being discovered," says Kumar. Among the many junior surfers are 13-year-old girls Aneesha Nayak and Sinchana Gowda from Mangalore, both of whom "are surfing exceptionally well and are the future of women surfing in India". The related sport of Stand Up Paddling (SUP) too is seeing promise in Sekar, Manikandan and Shamanth Kumar.

Spanner in the works
While state tourism departments in Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala have shown interest in supporting surf and surf-related events in their respective states, it is challenging to promote surfing as another alternative sport in a country obsessed with cricket. For starters, most beaches in India lack basic public facilities, such as toilets and showers, car parking zones, life guards, etc.
Financial resources present another constraint. Organising local events and sending local champions to participate in international contests, require money. Without government and corporate funds, this becomes a mammoth task. Samantaray of the India Surf Festival says it takes anything between Rs 75 lakh-Rs 1 crore to organise a festival. "We do manage to bring in sponsors, but we end up spending money from our pockets too," he says.
And although surfers get invited to represent India in world championships every year, our surfers have been unable to go because of lack of sponsors, says Kumar.

Samantaray also says that the 34% excise and customs duty that the government levies in import of surf boards makes it an expensive proposition to import surf boards. "Although there are people who make surf boards in India, they don't always have the bandwidth to cater to the demand," he says.
Hebner echoes this and makes a larger point. "The government should lower import duties on all sport equipment and offer significant perks to anyone trying to promote alternative sports in India," he says. "What is needed is for the government to realise that surfing is a viable sport in India, a viable economic boost in a new economic sector involving surf tourism, travel, surf equipment, surf clothing, surf schools and a whole lot more."

1) Mantra Surf Club
Mulki, Karnataka

2) Shaka Surf Club
Udupi, Karnataka

3) Soul & Surf
Varkala, Kerala

4) Kovalam Surf Club,
Kovalam, Kerala

5) Kallialay Surf School,
Auroville, Pondicherry

6) Mumu Surf School,
Maamallapuram, Tamil Nadu

7) Lonely Surfers
Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh