The Covelong Point Classic Surf & Music Festival is all set to host the country’s first Asian Surf Championship
Yotam Agam
From a quiet fishing village, Covelong (better known as Kovalam) has turned into one of the country’s top surfing destination. This hamlet is now all set to host the first ever Covelong Point Classic Surf & Music Festival from September 18 to 20. Into its third edition now, this festival will also include India’s first Asian Surf Championship. The festival is a brainchild of this trio — fisherman and surfer Murthy Megavan, Arun Vasu of the TT Group and musician Yotam Agam of EarthSync, who tied up with the Surfing Federation of India.
Fisherman and surfer Murthy said that it all started with a dream… and a surfboard! Murthy, who runs the Covelong Point Social Surf School, reminisced, “I had always wanted to surf. I started very small, using old surfboards. It took some time for me to improve and people would laugh at me. But then, I had always wanted to start a surf school. Then, Arun Vasu of the TT Group supported me. We started a small school and this year we revamped it to a new surf facility, which offers not just surfing but also other adventure sports. There is even a restaurant and lodging amenities. This festival, which started in 2013, has now become quite popular! It has been quite a journey.”
Arun said the surfing school was started with the purpose of developing the village. “This surf school is run by the fishing community. The festival was to boost surfing in the village and get the local community into the sport. The first year, we started small but the response was overwhelming. Now, we are into the third year and this year is special because we are hosting the Asian Surf Championship for the first time in the country. So, over 25 surfers from Thailand, Philippines, Japan, Maldives, Sri Lanka and other countries will be participating. It is an opportunity to boost the sport in India and also the local community,” he explained.
Vasu, who is also the Honorary Consul of the Consulate of Sweden in Chennai, said there’s a great future for surfing in the country. Murthy added that for him, surfing was more than just business. “My surf school is also about social movement. I give free surfing lessons to the local children but there’s a condition — no alcohol, no smoking and they have to pitch in to keep the beach clean. At the end of the day, I want my village to be Asia’s best surfing village,” he revealed.
Apart from surfing, there’s also a yoga shala in operation, film screenings and workshops. Live music acts by renowned Carnatic musician T.M. Krishna (presented by the TT Vasu Foundation) and bands like Skrat, Mahesh Vinayakram, Dualist Inquiry, Swarathma, Mounawar, Oikyotaan, The Nagore Boys and more are on the cards.
Cricketer and surfing enthusiast Jonty Rhodes will be the surf ambassador. Yotam pointed out that this festival promotes surf lifestyle. He also added that the surf scene is all set to get better. “Some of the country’s top surfers are from Covelong. And for this championship, we have a judges and referees from all over the world and also a rating system. I really want to see an Indian surfer win this edition of the Asian Surf Championship,” he concluded.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
Next Story
