How I embraced the sun, sand and surf

Tanvi Jagadish, 25, India’s first female stand up paddling racer, describes the challenges of learning surfing in a small coastal town, and later setting up her own school

In the blistering heat of Fiji, I felt proud to see the India flag amid flags from other countries. Sand from our shores was placed alongside sand from other participating countries. This was a ritual followed at the International Surfing Association’s Stand Up Paddling and Paddleboard Championships. It was 2016 and it marked India’s maiden participation. At 16, I was the first female surfer from India to be a part of the 18 km ocean race.  

By then, my parents had come to accept the choices I was making. Yet, there were days where I argued with my mother — she wanted me to pursue a more stable career, one in which getting severely tanned was not an occupational hazard.

Early days in Mulki

I got into surfing when I was about 10. My summer vacations at my grandparents’ place in Mulki in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka had exposed me to the world of surfing. Little did I know that I had stepped into a quaint and hidden surfing paradise that would have a strong impact on my future.

My first cousin and grandfather were huge influences. My cousin, two years older, would go surfing and tell me about his adventures. I would ask him why I could not go along. But I come from a place where it was not common for girls to wear short clothes, let alone surf wearing them. One would have to hear nasty things from the villagers. But after some convincing, my cousin took me along and my grandparents supported me. For two consecutive summer vacations, I went surfing and my grandparents would lie to my parents about my passion as they would have never agreed to let me try it.

Every time I returned home after the summer, my mother was surprised to see me completely tanned. My father worked in a petroleum company back then and my mother was a homemaker. I understand why they were overprotective. I was a single child and a girl in a conservative setup. I was also diagnosed with wheezing early on and thought I would never be able to pursue any sport in my life. But surfing changed my life and swimming stopped my wheezing.

My family circumstances meant I had to take up a simple government job. Surfing was an unconventional career choice. For girls, surfing in a small town 15 years ago would mean risking body shaming and harassment. But when my parents saw me pursuing the sport seriously, they gradually began supporting me. I continued training in Mulki. I took up stand up paddling, a sister sport of surfing, and was 14 when I won the gold medal in my first national-level competition (Women’s National Stand Up Paddling Championship, Covelong Point Surf Festival). I never looked back.

I continued participating in championships because each win meant my parents could see more of my love for the sport. Collecting medals became a driving factor. It also meant being exposed to girl participants from various geographies. That inspired me further. In Mulki, the infrastructure barely supported girls. A handful of us would show up to train, on and off, and we could never be consistent. I never had formal training with a proper coach.

Missed opportunities

Earlier this year, Surfing Federation of India (SFI) was officially recognised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India and the Sports Authority of India. However, we still have a long way to go when it comes to supporting surfers. Raising funds is never easy.

I was raising funds for the 2018 Asian Stand Up Paddling Race when I met Rohan Suvarna, now 33, for the first time. I was training students to earn extra cash and he was one of my students. He helped me raise funds through events as well. Since there was a female instructor on board, parents did not hesitate to send young girls for training.

Back then, participating in an international tournament cost around Rs 3-4 lakh, exclusive of the training. Now, that amount has shot up by a lakh or two. Because I am a girl, I was written off and people were reluctant to fund me. I would have to pull out all the newspaper articles about my achievements to convince them. There were instances when I missed important tournaments because of lack of funding. It did take a toll on me. Every day, I would practise seven hours in the water and two hours commuting to the school. It was demotivating when months of training went in vain, all because I could not find funding.

Injuries and accidents

I was preparing for an important national-level tournament in 2018 when my life took an unexpected turn. I was stand-up paddling in Kovalam beach, Chennai, when a big wave hit me and I ended up hitting my stomach on a rock underwater. The safety gear attached to my feet had broken off. I was knocked out for a few hours. But I still won gold at the championship. It was the Women’s National Level Stand Up Paddling Championship Covelong Point Surf Festival. However, my body gave up after that.

For almost a year, I underwent multiple scans but doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong. I had a lot of internal bleeding. It took more than a year of yoga and physiotherapy to heal. Around that time, I started my surf training school, and the break helped me recover too. The break did not stop me from participating and winning at the 2022 National level Stand Up Paddling (SUP) Championship, The Alampara Championship 2022, the Distance and Technical race at Women’s National Level SUP Championship, and the 200 metre sprint at the Women’s National Level SUP Championship.

Beautiful surroundings

In 2019, when I was 19, I opened the Kadal Surf School with Rohan at Malpe beach in Udupi. ‘Kadal’ means ‘ocean’ in my mother tongue Tulu. Udupi is a beautiful place with its mountains, temples and oceans. We felt it had immense scope for organised surf training. We also wanted to create a safe and inclusive space for girls and boys to learn surfing, stand up paddling and kayaking.

We started it as a bootstrapped project. Each of us poured in our savings, borrowed from friends and families and worked hard. We would train students back-to-back in the first year to recover the investment and return the money. We only had one board back then and gradually increased our inventory. A board costs about Rs 36,000. Today, we have students of all ages — from a four-year-old girl to a 75-year-old woman from Udupi. The senior told us that surfing had been on her bucket list. After training with us, she surprised us by performing exceptionally well. A homemaker all her life, she had always dreamt of adventure. She came to learn with her four-year-old grandson, visiting from the US. The two had great fun learning to surf together. Her family encouraged her to pursue her dream and take up surfing as a hobby. We have also had other enthusiastic students in the 50-60 age bracket. We usually train children older than nine. But younger children can also join us if they can swim. Surfing teaches children important life lessons. It helps foster a deep respect for nature and the ocean. 

College and school

I set up the surf school the same year I joined the evening Poornaprajna College in Udupi. I chose history, politics, economics and sociology as my subjects. The principal was supportive of sportspersons. That made a difference and helped me balance my education and my surfing school at the same time. My parents told me I would have to complete my graduation and be financially independent before taking this up, but I could not wait.

The learners are growing in number year after year. This year, we have trained 1,300 students so far. Since 2020, we have trained 6,500 in stand up paddling, kayaking and surfing. We offer three types of courses — the beginners’ course is for three days, the foundation course for five and the intermediary course for seven. The foundation course remains the bestselling one as it teaches the basics of all three sports. Students either rent equipment from us or buy them. And knowing swimming is not a prerequisite to learn surfing.

Surfing is intense and tiring. We have a small team of seven instructors. We remain shut in the monsoon months from June to mid-September.

At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, we trained coastal security forces in surfing. It was a rewarding experience. But what is even more enriching is training the local communities, especially women and children. They feel empowered by the skills they learn. Just being on the surfboard in the ocean gives them a sense of independence. On Women’s Day every year, we organise special training sessions for women. It is attended by women from all walks of lives — professionals, homemakers, college students and athletes.

I am not surfing competitively now, but at Kadal we are rooting for a 19-year-old called Yashwi Poojary. She has been volunteering with us for two years and has shown tremendous growth in the sport. When Yashwi, an engineering student, first came to us earlier this year, she had just begun learning. She has already won five medals (two gold, three bronze) in National Sea Kayaking and the Stand Up Paddling Championship, Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh. She is keen to get into the sport and compete professionally. We are trying to support her in every way possible.

As of now, I have no plans to participate in any competition. I want to focus on training as many students as I can. I am fine with the way life is turning out. I have two ailing and elderly parents to take care of. My father was diagnosed with advanced stage cancer, and he is also a heart patient. My mother is by his side caring for him. I drive an hour and a half to see them, and I keep travelling back and forth whenever I can.

Some day, I would love to travel to another country to take up an advanced course, because I have never had a personal coach here in India. I remember travelling alone for my first international tournament with only a manager. I want young and aspiring surfers from India to have a solid foundation when they go out and compete. I want this sport to be recognised and popularised in India. Till then, I will continue to wake up every day and embrace the waves, riding them with pride and helping young minds conquer them, one board at a time. 

(As told to Reya Mehrotra.)