Police lend a helping hand for Chennai youngsters to surf ahead

The Chennai police have given a Stand Up Paddle Surf Board to the SUP Marina Club, which offers free training to children from the fisher community

September 25, 2020 02:56 pm | Updated 02:56 pm IST - Chennai

R. Sudhakar, Joint Commissioner of Police, East Zone on Thursday gifted a Stand Up Paddle (SUP) - Surf Board to the SUP Marina club that offers free training to children from the fisher community

R. Sudhakar, Joint Commissioner of Police, East Zone on Thursday gifted a Stand Up Paddle (SUP) - Surf Board to the SUP Marina club that offers free training to children from the fisher community

Life changed for the better for 17-year-old Dhanush Kumar, a class 12 student at the Hindu High School, when his father, a fisherman, asked him to enrol at the SUP-Marina Club, which offers free Stand Up Paddle (SUP) training for youngsters from the fishing community. Now, the Greater Chennai Police have come forward to support youngsters like Dhanush.

“My father did not want me to fall into bad company and pick up bad habits. He wanted me to take up water sports, as I am from the fishing community. Now my concentration, energy and health have all improved. I have an aim in life -- to become a police officer,” said Dhanush.

To help children like Dhanush steer clear of bad habits and use their energy in developing skills, R. Sudhakar, Joint Commissioner of Police, East Zone on Thursday gifted a Stand Up Paddle (SUP) - Surf Board to the SUP Marina Club that offers free training to children from the fisher community.

The club is being run by 46-year-old A. Satish Kumar for the past three years. “I was interested in surfing earlier, and then I took up SUP. I felt that our shorelines are not explored properly,” he said.

Mr. Satish said that there are many talented persons, especially in water sports, in the fisher community. “They have no opportunity to showcase their skills. The only sporting event they hold is either swimming or catamaran race. Hence, I started this club so that the energy of the children is channelised effectively,” he said.

There are over 25 members in his club and they are aged between 7 to 30 years. “Many of them have taken part in rallies and are being trained to take part in national competitions. The SUP-Surf paddle will help the youngsters do surfing and paddling,” added Mr. Satish, whose club is located in Chepauk.

G. Dharmarajan, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Triplicane, said that this was part of community policing. “This is an attempt to channelise the energy of the youth. Sports is an excellent medium for this,” he said.

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