Who Is Ishita Malaviya? Meet India’s First Professional Female Surfer

Even as popular sports like cricket and badminton have ruled India’s sporting scene for years, Ishita Malaviya has broken new ground in surfing. The first professional female surfer in India, she has made this water-based niche sport more popular in the country. She has played an instrumental role in making surfing more popular by setting up a surf school in India along with her partner and has represented the country on an international stage. Here is the story of Ishita Malaviya’s achievements in the field of surfing.

Ishita Malaviya's Early Life And Education

Ishita hails from the coastal city of Mumbai, where she developed a love for nature. In order to attend college, she relocated to Karnataka to study journalism at Manipal University. During her years in college in the coastal city of Manipal, she experienced a major turning point in her life towards the sea.

How Did Ishita Malaviya Start Her Surfing Journey?

In 2007, while studying at Manipal University, Ishita and her boyfriend Tushar Pathiyan came across a German surfer and some local monks who surf, referred to as the 'Surfing Swamis' in India. They became interested in the sport and decided to ride their first wave.

Being unable to purchase surfboards in India, Ishita and Tushar spent their college money on buying one surfboard, which would be used by both.

As more students became interested, they began providing surfing lessons in order to get money to buy more surfboards. Thus, the concept of The Shaka Surf Club was born in Kodi Bengre, a small fishing village in Karnataka, where Ishita established one of the first surf schools in India. She openly defied social conventions surrounding people's fears of drowning, ocean safety, and the taboo of Indian women getting tanned through physical activities.

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Ishita Malaviya's Achievements And Recognition

• Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia (2019): Selected for the highly acclaimed Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the Sports and Entertainment category as an innovator in surfing in India.

• Brand Ambassador: The first Indian surfer to be appointed as a brand ambassador by the international surf and lifestyle brand Roxy.

• Grassroots & Environment: Using her own surf club, she organises beach cleaning activities, ocean safety training, and teaches swimming and surfing skills to village kids, especially girl children.

• Documentaries: She has been featured in various renowned international documentaries like Beyond the Surface that focused on the female surfers of the world.

Conclusion

The transformation of Ishita Malaviya from a journalism student at Manipal to India’s first professional woman surfer is an example of how passion and dedication can change things for the better. She has made the Indian coast her arena of power and has paved the way for many more young women in India to follow suit.

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Image credits: Instagram

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