A small town with laidback cafes, crowded beaches, and stone temples, Mahabalipuram in the outskirts of Chennai is a popular tourist destination, especially for surfers. What many don't know 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 6-year-old girl, 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. After Kamali's picture went viral, another exponent in the field, Jamie Thomas, visited the little village.
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.
As more and more tourists and sportspeople from across the globe flock to this little hamlet, it 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, “Jaime 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.” Says Kamali's mother, “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.”
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. In 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 5 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.” Mumu Surf School is responsible for most of the children getting to practice on surfboards for free. Mumu, who runs this surf shop, 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.”
