The ISA caught up with India’s most inspiring 19-year-old SUP racer while on a mission to share the sport she loves.
At just sixteen years of age India’s Tanvi Jagadish burst onto the global StandUp Paddle (SUP) scene. She entered the 2016 ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship in Fiji not in search of Gold Medals, but to announce to the world that Indians now too were taking part in one of the world’s newest, fastest growing water sports.
Three years later, Tanvi has emerged as one of the young, inspired leaders driving the growth and development of the sport in India. Tanvi has discovered the power of SUP to make positive social change and has used it to breakdown gender barriers that prevent women from getting involved in sport, especially ocean sports.
As a young woman who embodies the ISA vision — to make the world a better place through surfing — the ISA has been keeping in contact with Tanvi over the years. In 2017, Tanvi returned to represent her nation on the international stage at the ISA Worlds in Denmark, the same year that the ISA selected her as a scholarship ambassador for her profound dedication to her education and surfing.
Last we spoke with Tanvi in 2019, she was embarking on a journey to achieve an ambitious goal she and her friend Rohan had set: to bring SUP to all 29 states of India.
Eager to get an update on their progress and the state of StandUp Paddle in India, it was time to reconnect with this accomplished, young SUP star and get an on-the-ground report of her experience sharing the sport she loves with other Indians. While her grand plan may have hit a few snags, her devotion to helping others learn to SUP remains as strong as ever.