Surfing is catching on in India and the Covelong Point surf festival this weekend is evidence of the swell in its popularity. The second edition of the festival that was held in the village of Kovalam near Chennai was kicked off by former South African cricketer and surfing ambassador Jonty Rhodes.
Kovalam was one of the villages on the east coast that was hit hard by the 2004 tsunami. The founder of the surfing festival, Murthy Megavan, lost his fishing boat that day. Megavan turned to doing social work to help the tsunami-affected. Always a surfing enthusiast, Murthy started the Covelong Point Social Surfing School as a way to turn young people in his fishing village away from alcohol and drug abuse. The Covelong festival is a celebration of surfing and music and draws some of India's best bands and musical performers. Here are some images from the festival's Instagrammers.
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Kovalam was one of the villages on the east coast that was hit hard by the 2004 tsunami. The founder of the surfing festival, Murthy Megavan, lost his fishing boat that day. Megavan turned to doing social work to help the tsunami-affected. Always a surfing enthusiast, Murthy started the Covelong Point Social Surfing School as a way to turn young people in his fishing village away from alcohol and drug abuse. The Covelong festival is a celebration of surfing and music and draws some of India's best bands and musical performers. Here are some images from the festival's Instagrammers.
