“Change That Narrative”: Despite Surfing Not Being Part of Their ‘Culture’, India’s First Female Pro Surfer Breaks Stereotypes

A drop of water depicts the surf action in the landmass surrounded by oceans on three sides. India is a country with over 1.80 billion people and more than 4,000 miles of coastline, but just a pinch of 120 surfing population. As odd as the stats may seem, beaches aren’t people’s friends. Caught up in the mythic sigma, even Indian men have been visiting the beaches for transactional use mostly fishing. Up until a few years ago, it appeared as though delight had never been associated with the majestic country blues.

Modernization freed men to head to the beach but discouraged the rest from enjoying leisure. From the seclusion bloomed a pioneering lady of unwavering passion who took the initiative to make the sport her identity. From ditching her city life to building her surf company in a hamlet following her passion, the surf pro finally achieved global recognition.

Surfing star breaks barriers to ride the waves

India’s first professional female surfer Ishita Malaviya had a normal life up until her college days. In 2007, she got familiar with the lack of “surfers in India” upon searching the internet, off she ventured to build her career path thereon. A YouTube video recently posted by ROXY shed light on her inspiring story that obstructed the generational thought on surfing. Talking about the ideology of women staying at home Malaviya said, ” I wanted to kind of change that narrative.”

She said that Indians do not have a strong surfing culture and that many are afraid of the sea. She went on to say that males go fishing at sea, emphasizing the monetary usage of the sea. Born in Bombay (now Mumbai), she has always had a connection to the huge coastal land, however, it was not until after her graduation that she pursued professional surfing. At 22, she relocated to Manipal to study with her high school friend and boyfriend Tushar Pathiyan when an idea struck the two.

Pursuing her love was not easy for Malaviya, who opened her surf club in the Konkan Coast’s small village Kodi Bengre. What began as a concept learned after meeting a German exchange student now turned into a thriving business known as Shaka Surf Club. It even taught the local kids for free with a future goal to promote the Indian coastline as a global surfing destination. The benchmark is not far for the surfer who has already made it to the global platforms in recent times.

Surfing Icon attains global image

Malaviya is a role model for women all around the world. Her narrative has been widely covered by several Indian and foreign-recognized authors, publishers, and even filmmakers. She has been featured in a variety of publications and news websites, including Gestalten, Olympics.com, surfer.com, and Parley.tv.  In 2014, a documentary film about Malaviya and other female surfers named Beyond the Surface was released. She was also included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list in the Sports and Entertainment category in 2019 alongside Naomi Osaka. A fellow surfer Lauren Hill who celebrates women surfers around the world included her in her book “She Surf.”

Read More: “Going to Destroy the Actual Beach”: Birthplace of Surfing Rocked by Bold Proposal as Local Community Remains Divided

The young surfer is also the only Indian to hold the position of Roxy Surfwear’s brand ambassador. Several high-profile businesses and charities have hired her to represent them over the years. Expressing her gratitude for surfing, she once said, “It has changed my life. I just want to surf now and train others who feel the same way.” India had never seen an exemplar like her before who defined the sport to her people and others.

While 3.7 million American surfers hit the waves, does it seem strange that a country so densely populated does not have a surfing culture?

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