Have you seen the latest video of Wild Beasts — Alpha Female — making the rounds on social media? This catchy number by Hayden Thorpe will hook you instantly. Thorpe explains the lyrics as “a tale of showing yourself, of pushing off the earth to gather momentum, of leaning into resistance and meeting it with bravery and composure”.
At 1.15 minutes into the video, a little girl wearing a headscarf, her curly locks draped over her shoulders, strikes a confident pose. And then, the scene shifts to a drop from atop a skating ring, barefoot. All you can see is the confidence, focus and that charming, innocent smile. Meet Mahabs’ own little rockstar, Kamali Moorthy.
I first met her as a two-year-old, when I began surfing in this town. In just a few days, I knew she was a very special kid; her smile melted hearts. When she was about three, her uncle Santhosh Moorthy (the country’s first surf board shaper and among the best surfers in the country) took her out into the ocean to give her a few surfing classes. Everyone watched in amazement as she took to the waves like a pro.
Chance of a lifetime
Surfing and skating go hand in hand. Skating helps a surfer balance and manoeuvre better. Santhosh then introduced her to skating with some borrowed boards. To her luck, Bengaluru-based skateboard company Holystoked set up a skating ring in the community centre by the beach. This gave Kamali tremendous opportunity to hone her skills.
It was Jamie Thomas’ (a skater and surfer photographer) image of Kamali navigating a downward sweep in a little frock that caught the eye of Tony Hawk (the Kelly Slater of the skating world). His tweet of this little girl took the skating world by storm. Thomas was so inspired that besides giving her skating tips, he also gifted her his board.
Kamali is too young to understand the hype around her or know how lucky she is to have a mother like Suganthy — a single mother who raises two kids in a fishing village, selling water bottles by the alleys of the Shore Temple. Every time I watch Kamali skate, I also watch Suganthy — her eyes glow with pride. She understands that her daughter is special; and that she needs to support her both academically and otherwise. But, life is not easy. Her grievance is not the lack of money, but that her work takes her away from her children for long periods of time.
In many ways, Suganthy is the Alpha female of this story.
Says Poorna Bodh of Holystoked: “We need to let Kamali do this without any pressure to perform. She’s very good, and will carve her future. All that her mother needs to do is give her space and support.”
So, what is Kamali’s choice of sport? Skating or surfing? “I love to surf Liz,” she pipes up.
Thingsto do
See: The Bindu Project presents ‘From Pain to Paint’
@The Alternative Art Gallery Othavadai II Cross Street
Till March 7
Ride: Want to drive around Mahabs and beyond? Contact Sundaresan at Karunkuliamman Koil Street, below Eli’s kitchen
Do: What Kamali does. Visit the skate ramp on the beach @Community Centre
The writer is a surfer who runs a restaurant in Mamallapuram.
