Story with Ishita Malaviya
Story by Ishita Malaviya and Parker Hansen
Photography by Parker Hansen
IG: @surfishita
Website: www.ishitamalaviya.com
For this series of Facing West I photographed Ishita Malaviya, India’s first female surfer. Her accolades include being named to Forbes 30 under 30 list and co-founding India’s premier surf school, The Shaka Surf Club. She takes great pride as a pioneer of surfing in India and strives to create a community through surfing, being a role model for women around the world and advocating for gender equality in and out of the water.
How has your connection with the ocean created opportunities for you?
ISHITA: I think sharing stoke is such a pure, universal language that needs no words, yet has the power to dissolve barriers. I love how surfing has taken me around the world and helped me feel at home on distant shores by connecting with other ocean minded folk through pure stoke alone! I find that to be a surfer, requires a certain level of humility and it's this very quality that has helped me form real, genuine friendships with so many beautiful people in the global surf community, especially some incredible women who have made me feel so loved and supported! It's such a blessing to have friends in most places I travel to and get to live like a local wherever I go. It's definitely helped me find a greater sense of belonging in the world!
Why have you made intentional life choices to be near the water?
ISHITA: The ocean is a very sacred space for me. I like to think of the ocean as the Womb of Mother Earth, in which all life on this planet was born. So being in the sea always gives me the feeling of coming home. In the arms of mother ocean, I feel held and supported, grounded and centered. In the ebbs and flows of life, surfing is my constant. Sometimes, it's the only thing that makes sense in life. Being in salt water is especially restorative to my spirit and I always step out feeling lighter and renewed. My connection with the ocean has brought me immense joy and deep healing. I can't imagine my life without this lifeline.
You are a well-known surfer. How has the notoriety changed your relationship with surfing?
ISHITA: Everyday I feel so grateful to be able to do what I love. I think being self taught and having started surfing at a time when there were hardly any surfers in India, I've naturally always pushed myself to become a better surfer. Traditionally in India, the ocean has always been looked at as a treacherous place reserved for men who go fish at sea. Growing up I never really saw images of water women that looked like me, and having had no other women surfers to watch and learn from when I was starting out, I know how intimidating it can feel to be the only woman in the lineup. So I think representation matters and I've always felt a personal sense of responsibility to be a positive role model for other women in my community. It's important for them to see me as someone they can relate to, and feel inspired to think “If she can do it, I can do it too." It's such a beautiful feeling to have come such a long way since then and to now be recognised for my efforts. It's such a blessing to be able to inspire people just by being myself.
As India’s first female surfer how has your background shaped your perspective on surfing?
ISHITA: The thing I love most about surfing is that it makes me feel like a kid again. I feel like as a woman in India, you’re sometimes forced to grow up too soon. Surfing brought back an element of play in my life and gave me a sense of freedom and liberation that I didn’t know I was seeking, but desperately needed. I love how catching waves helps me reconnect with my childlike wonder, and also reclaim my sense of power by finding my strength and taking up rightful space as a woman in a space traditionally reserved for men.
