One with the waves

Chances are, if you like to travel or even spend weekends away from the city, you’ve heard of or been to Mahabalipuram. A small town with laidback cafes, crowded beaches, and stone temples that remind you of a much slower-paced Goa, it is a popular tourist destination, especially for surfers. What people don’t know about the town, though, is that the local children here spend all their free time riding waves and doing flips on skateboards! When you step on the beach you can see the sea dotted with children who are just beginning to learn how to surf, as well as those who have mastered the waves. Walk a little further into the village and you will find another unique sight — a tiny skating ramp on which the local kids try to pull stunts!

It all began when Kamali Moorthy, a six-year-old young girl from the quaint village, whose parents are fisherfolk in the community, shot to international fame when a picture of her skateboarding was shared by legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk on social media.

Kamali became the toast of the sport’s forums online, as the picture went viral, prompting another popular exponent in the field, Jamie Thomas to visit the little village on the outskirts of Chennai.

What he found there was remarkable — an entire village and community of fishermen and women, who have prompted their little kids to take to surfing and skateboarding, before and after school, to ensure that the sporting activities give them new-found purpose in life.

More and more tourists and sportspersons from across the globe flock to this little hamlet to witness this and the community that was mostly regarded as a slum, is now becoming a hotspot for expats as well as gaining repute all over as a model to rehabilitate kids from lower-class backgrounds — through sport.

As we watch Kamali go up and down the ramps, showing off her potential, Aine Edwards, an entrepreneur who frequents the town to surf tells us, “Jamie Thomas, a famous skateboarder who also runs a skateboard-making company, came down here and gifted her his skateboard. But, she shares this with all the children here and they take turns on the ramps. It’s amazing to see them just enjoy themselves.”

Talking to Kamali’s mother, we come to realise how important parental support is for women to follow their passion. She tells us, “We never had any problem with Kamali having fun. I don’t think one should ever differentiate between girls and boys, because that fear will hold the girls back.” Kamali also peppers the conversation, saying, “I love skateboarding, it’s a lot of fun,” before heading back to the ramp.

Poornabodh Nadavatt from HolyStoked was responsible for building the tiny skatepark right opposite Kamali’s house. “This DIY method came in when people realised that skateboarding wasn’t being given its due, and that the government doesn’t provide the infrastructure required. Especially in India, no sport except cricket gets enough support. So we decided to build our own skateparks that are free for all,” he says.

Poornabodh goes on to say, “We’ve already built several including one in Panna Tiger reserve and a couple in Goa, but we chose Mahabalipuram because it was a surf town — and surfing and skating grow hand in hand. After Mumu, who runs the surf shop, spoke to the village council, we got a small space at the community hall with the visiting surfers, we built it in three days! And to see the kids utilise it is another high because now with more competitions and exposure, they grow more confident.”

When the raging sun grows calmer, the sea becomes more and more crowded. Kamali heads down with her uncle Santosh, who is a surfing ace, to learn how to tackle the ocean. At the shallow end, you can see the young ones learning how to catch the smaller waves, while farther down you can see older kids getting the grip of conquering the waves. Surfing, bodyboarding, and skinboarding — they do it all. And they start as young as five years of age! Harish, Agilan, Yuraj, Nithish, Manni, and Ruban are a few of the teens that surf on the regular.

When asked why they started with the water sport, they all reply in unison, “We love it, and it’s like having a big playground. We play, run, jump on the board, and slide on the waves. We’re happier in the water, but when there are no waves, we skate. Our friends also come over to cheer  us!” Considering that Mahabs is known for having the best waves in the country, how these kids stand tall next to pro surfers is no mean feat.

Mumu Surf School is responsible for most of the children getting to practice on surfboards for free. Mumu tells us, “I remember a time when I used to ask random people to let me use their surfboard once and they would refuse. So, I didn’t want these kids to go through the same experience. Of course, now I know that lending boards for free is risky,  because they get damaged. But the kids and I have a pact, every time they clean up the beach, they can use the boards for free.” He adds, “This keeps the kids fit and also helps them stay out of trouble, which used to be a major problem before the surfing and skating came in.”

Aine also adds, “We just want the kids to have fun. Some parents are already hoping they compete and make a name for themselves, but we always tell them that, it will come on its own and not to push it. We hope that this will result in more exposure and progress for them. We’re looking at building a skating ramp at Little Lambs School in North Chennai, and also bringing Atita Verghes of Girl Skate India fame to come down from Bengaluru and meet Kamali!”