Catching the waves
Arun Vasu, CMD of the TTK Group talks about how he converted a small fishing village in Kovalam into an international surfing destination
Chennai
India was never known as a surfing destination. But thanks to surfing aficionado Arun Vasu, who is CMD of the TTK Group, all that has changed. Arun's passion for water sports, especially wind surfing, goes back at least 30 years. Three and a half years ago, he was approached by Yotam Agam of EarthSync who narrated the tale of Murthy, a fisherman in Kovalam village who had a dream of starting a surf school. Arun met Murthy and says it "took all of ten minutes" to decide to invest in the school. He recalls, "Murthy came across as a genuine guy. He never talked about doing it for himself or for the money. He wanted to do it for his village. Surfing gave him a direction in life, a focus."
"They only have to do one thing in return, either clean the beach or teach someone else." Today the school has students coming from all over India. All the earnings from the school are ploughed back into Kovalam village ñ they educate 50 children and also run free health check-ups and eye camps. But what put Kovalam in the limelight is the Covelong Point Classic Surf and Music Festival.
Vasu recalls, "When we started the school, we needed to give the place hype and support Murthy too." The first festival was a surfing competition. But Vasu asks, "How many people will come for just a surfing competition?" Murthy, Yotam and he hit on the idea of a festival where surfing would be the main event buttressed by music, food stalls and other activities. The first Covelong Point Classic Surf and Music Festival saw a crowd of around 2000 to 3000 people. That jumped to 8,000 in 2014 and 2015 saw a whopping 13,000 people. "We are promoting surfing as a sport. And additionally, the village also benefits," he says. "We want to make this into a surfing Mecca. This spot is unique because the waves are really perfect."
Visit news.dtnext.in to explore our interactive epaper!
Download the DT Next app for more exciting features!
Click here for iOS
Click here for Android