Swimming against the current: The tale of India's first female surfer
Surfing largely remains an unexplored sport in India, so when a woman is making waves in that domain, that’s of huge significance. When Ishita Malaviya discovered her passion for surfing and decided to pursue the same, it wasn’t easy being a trailblazer in a country where the sight of swimsuit clad women still remains a rarity on its famous beaches, except for the tourists.
She is familiar to most of us from the inspirational Nike ad Da Da Ding, aimed at breaking down gender norm barriers, featuring influential female athletes from India.
Mumbai born Ishita shifted to Manipal in Coastal Karnataka to study journalism in 2007, where she met a German exchange student, who introduced her to surfboard. Her first ever experience with the waves proved to be exhilarating, and Ishita decided to further pursue her passion and master the art. She took lessons from the famous Surfing Swamis, the pioneers of surfing in India, from the Mantra Surf Club in Mulki, Mangalore.
Once she mastered the waves, there was no looking back for Ishita. She abandoned her journalism dreams to take up surfing as a profession. An odd choice for a woman in a country like India, Ishita’s parents were apprehensive about her decision, but the young woman was determined to fight against all odds. With the help and support from her partner Tushar Pathiyan, she co-founded a surf club in Udupi, the Shaka Surf Club, converting an abandoned local bar.
Apart from providing basic lessons to people of all ages, the club, in collaboration with Australian Life Saving Society and Austswim, trains children at the local government school to become junior lifeguards.
In 2013, Ishita became the first Indian surfer to be sponsored by international beachwear brand Roxy as part of their Spring-Summer 2013 campaign.
Ever since she first got introduced to a surfboard a decade back, Ishita has been swimming against the current, serving as an inspiration for women in India.
“The ocean has always been a place for the men, they go fish at sea and the women stay at home and also there is such a big fear of the ocean in general in India, so overcoming all these things is a bit challenging,” Ishita mentions in a documentary titled Beyond the Surface.
For the 27-year-old, who is also an ailurophile, surfing isn’t just a sport, but also a spiritual experience, like how she mentions in her latest Instagram post that talks of the loss of her beloved kitten and how surfing helps her to cope with the grief.
“The days since Kaya’s passing have been heavy and life seems to have lost the colour it once had. The only respite from this grief has been spending time in the healing waters of the ocean. A most sacred space and infinite source of joy and strength I can always draw from.” (sic)
