There were many things that took Kumaran Mahalingam by surprise during his standup paddling expedition in the fjords of Western Norway — the intensity of the winds, the relentless rains, the never-ending skies, but mainly: “Through the entire 65-kilometre stretch of waters, there wasn’t one piece of plastic floating around,” he recalls.
The founder of Chennai-based Paddle for Future, a company that helps the younger generation discover standup paddling, was invited by SUP Norway in August to lead three expeditions. Having started Paddle for Future in 2016, Kumaran had brought the concept of paddling in still waters — as opposed to it being a sport of the sea — to the city. He has paddled over 5,500 kilometres in India (including Chennai’s Great Salt Lake recently), Austria, Singapore, Langkawi islands (Malaysia) and the Maduganga swamps in Sri Lanka.
So when SUP Norway’s founder, Titus Kodzman invited him to test his skills in the fjords of Norway, he leapt at the opportunity. “It was one of the more spectacular landscapes I have seen. As a geologist, I was particularly interested because those fjords are still geologically active,” he says.
Kumaran and his team paddled on two fjords. They started from the village of Gudvangen, to travel up Nærøyfjord, and then back down along Aurlandsfjord to Undredal — in an inverted V, and then back to Gudvangen along the same route. “The fjords are still being shaped by glaciers. Due to glacial action over a million years, you have reverse water flowing in from the oceans, slowly cutting the landscape. We even saw rocks falling while we were paddling, that’s how active the landscape is,” he says.
Throughout the five-day expedition, Kumaran and his team of 11 students — two of whom were from Chennai, part of the Paddle for Future community — carried all the gear, food (high in protein, less in carbs), first aid and tents on the boards with them. A single board, 12 feet long and 3 feet wide, supported almost 100 kilograms. While day one was about getting in groove with paddling, day two was when they actually began their expedition. “We paddled for nine kilometres on the second day, and 14 the next day. We camped in the wild, with no toilets or power,” he recalls.
They were met with strong crosswinds that would push them towards the rocks, and the constant rain brought the temperature down to one degree. “Once, we had to take a call to skip camping in the wild for the comforts of electricity and hot showers in Undredal. We would have frozen otherwise. I couldn’t even hold the paddle,” he says.
Test of mettle aside, the expedition also threw open some wonderful sights: “Our starting point, Gudvangen, has a Viking village and museum,” says Kumaran, referring to the Njardarheimr Viking Village that invites people to experience the Viking life, listen to old Viking tales, and throw some axes while they are at it.
“In Undredal, we went on a trail exploring the valley. The community there has just 70-odd people, and depends mostly on farming and goat cheese making. They also have an 872-year-old church,” he says. Even while paddling, the team would see seals, otters and porpoises everyday.
Back home
It is this love for the outdoors, so evident in Norway, that Kumaran wants to bring back to Chennai. “The trip made me want to offer expedition paddling more regularly here too, at least once a month,” he says, marking out lakes like Madurantakam and others in Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur, and river Kollidam, part of the Pichavaram ecosystem, as good spots for paddling.
In fact, Paddle For Future has set up a new outdoor learning centre, named Mangrove Bay Camp, seven kilometres from Pichavaram. “It is part of the un-schooling process. We teach people about an ecosystem, the importance of biodiversity, outdoor environmental science, and at the same time, paddling and kayaking,” he says. The centre is sustainable, completely solar powered, and encourages its students to plant native trees to replenish the mangroves and the beings breeding in them. The idea is to encourage an outdoor culture, which will in turn inculcate respect for the environment, believes Kumaran. “Paddling as an expedition is quite different from the SUP sport. Everyone can’t be a sportsperson, everyone need not even be a great swimmer — I myself am not. I have paddled in all sorts of ecosystems with just a life jacket on,” he says.
But being outdoors puts you in touch with Nature, and you understand how your lifestyle is affecting it. Once we see that, Kumaran hopes that we will realise the changes we need to make. “Our ancestors led a simple life, without the need for all these plastic materials. If all my expeditions have shown anything, it is that it’s possible to lead a bare, sustainable life. We are consuming more than we need to,” he emphasises.
Paddle for Future can be reached at 9971091541.
