From left: Gaura Gopala, Satyaraj, Kirtan Ananda, Dicky and Daruka Dasa, Krishna devotees at the Kaliya Mardana Krishna Ashram, head out to surf off Mangalore beach in the south Indian state of Karnataka.
From left: Gaura Gopala, Satyaraj, Kirtan Ananda, Dicky and Daruka Dasa, Krishna devotees at the Kaliya Mardana Krishna Ashram, head out to surf off Mangalore beach in the south Indian state of KarnatShow more

The surfing swamis



Daruka Dasa looks out at the horizon, bobbing up and down in the Indian Ocean on a surfboard. "I see a wave out there that's got your name written all over it," he says. We're off the coast of the southern Indian state of Karnataka, and Daruka seems to be looking vaguely in the direction of Somalia. Wave-spotting, I learn during my first surf lesson, is an acquired skill requiring hours spent staring out to sea, for try as I might to follow Daruka's gaze, I see nothing but a vast ocean in front of me.

Avid surfers like Daruka can see things others don't, like a distant line of shadow moving forward on the blue-green water. That's no great surprise, given that for Daruka and the other residents of the nearby Kaliya Mardana Krishna Ashram, surfing is a form of meditation, a spiritual practice leading to heightened states of awareness. Krishna devotees in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism, they are known collectively as the "surfing swamis". I have come to this isolated part of southern India to see what they can teach me.

Sure enough, Daruka's right. After about 15 seconds, I see the wave coming at me like a cavalry charge. The moment is now. Straddling the back of the board, I follow the instructions Daruka gave earlier, using my left leg as a rotor to kick myself around 180 degrees. I lean forward, paddling furiously towards the shore until I feel the wave behind me. Grabbing the board with both hands, I push myself up into a standing crouch, sticking my arms out in that cartoonish surf pose you see in old Beach Boys videos.

Nothing happens. The board fails to catch the wave, which passes under and crashes to shore without me. The moment is gone. Daruka explains that it's all a matter of timing. I've made a common beginner's mistake: standing up too early. To catch the wave, you've got to keep paddling until the last possible moment, and when the wave has you - when the board starts to accelerate on its own - wait an extra second or two and then stand up. I try again. And again.

Located in the coastal town of Mulki, just north of Mangalore, the "surfing ashram" is growing in popularity. It often hosts visitors from Mumbai, who escape the madness of the city by flying to Mangalore's domestic airport, a flight that takes little more than an hour. City dwellers hole up in the ashram for a few days to enjoy the quiet and catch some waves. Coming from Mumbai, the most crowded city in the world, one is struck immediately by the penetrating silence of the surrounding palm groves. In the ashram's courtyard, at the base of one tree sits a pile of coconuts, ready to be chopped open with a machete for drinking. A painted surfboard hangs above the entrance to the dining area, reading "Om Sweet Om" on one side, with a quote attributed to Lord Krishna from the Bhagavad Gita on the other: "Of bodies of water, I am the ocean."

That evening, I overhear the bhajan, or worship through devotional song, emanating from the ashram's temple room. I poke my head in, and Daruka gestures toward an empty cushion, so I sit down and try to follow along with the other residents. Gaudiya Vaishnavas practice bhakti yoga, or devotion to God in the form of Krishna, whom they regard as the Supreme Being. In practice, this means getting up before dawn to practice meditation for two hours starting at 5am, when they being their japa meditation. Chanting the Hara Krishna mantra, they focusing their attention on the sound vibration, which they believe purifies their minds and bodies. They count the number of recitations on the japa beads, ending with a reading from the Bhagavad Gita or the Srimad Bhagavatam, two Hindu holy texts.

An American who grew up in San Diego, Daruka, age 27, first came to India five years ago to visit two friends, travel, and surf the coastline. Both friends were followers of Swami Bhakti Gaurava Narasingha, the ashram's founder. For Daruka - a.k.a. Dustin Ellison - spirituality was not the first thing on his mind, but gradually the beliefs and practices of the group began to grow on him. "There was a particular time in my trip that Krishna consciousness began to have a strong calling and attractiveness for me," he says. "There was something so inviting about it all, both physically and internally." The devotees lead a healthy lifestyle, with an all-vegetarian diet, regular exercise and yoga. The inner spiritual practice consists of various forms of meditation, including the evening bhajan, which Daruka describes as "devotional chanting for the sweet absolute."

You might wonder what surfing has to do with any of this. Surprisingly for a country with 4,500 miles of coastline and waves that reach up to six metres during the monsoon season, surfing is almost unheard of in India. It took an American from Florida to import the idea. Now in his 60s, the ashram's guru was not always known as Swami Bhakti Gaurava Narasingha. He was originally from Florida and also goes by his original name, Jack Hebner.

Narasingha was a follower of the late A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Hindu spiritual leader and founder of the Hare Krishna movement, whom he met in San Francisco in 1967. Officially known as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon), the Hare Krishnas are familiar to veteran travellers. They became fixtures in airports during the 1970s and 1980s, often proselytising by selling leaflets, playing drums and finger cymbals, and generally drawing attention to themselves with their shaved heads and monkish-looking saffron robes.

The organisation was wracked by scandal in the years following Prabhupada's death in 1977, due in part to what many saw as its overly aggressive fundraising methods. Many followers, including Narasingha, left the organisation without forsaking any of the beliefs and practices of Krishna consciousness. Narasingha now lives in a larger ashram on the banks for the Kaveri River in Mysore, about 230 kilometres inland, but visits Mulki three to four times every year. He now has about 200 disciples in India, including several children - my surf buddies - that are receiving a home-school education at the Mulki ashram.

Perhaps nothing exemplifies how Narasingha's mission sets itself apart from the mainstream Iskcon movement more than the Ashram Surf Retreat, the guest surfing program opened in Mulki in 2006. The mission earns its money through a network of businesses, including web design, graphic design, a water bottling company, an art gallery, and the surf retreat. Visitors won't find the devotees hitting them up for donations while here; they'll simply be asked to pay the bill.

As Daruka explains it, self-sufficiency is central to the mission's philosophy. "For us, it's based entirely on business," he says. "All the boys here in this ashram are learning computer design and photography. We want all the devotees to be knowledgeable in both the practical, business side of things, as well as growing spiritually. There's a balance there and if it can all be used in the service to Guru and service to Krishna, then we're doing it right."

A room in the guest house costs from $67 to $87 (Dh248 to Dh318) per night for double occupancy, including vegetarian meals. Surf lessons cost $29 (Dh106) per day, and surfboard rental about $10 (Dh35). By the standards of small-town India, this is no bargain, but neither will you be living in a monk's cell. Compared to many ashrams and meditation centres in India, the rooms are almost luxurious. Plus, with room for only four people in the guest house and rarely more than eight residents in the ashram at any one time, visitors will have the place virtually to themselves.

Guests are asked to refrain from smoking and alcoholic beverages, no non-vegetarian food is permitted on the premises, and couples are requested to remain celibate during their stay. "It's definitely not open or recommended to anyone," says Daruka. "Our website weeds out the partiers and that kind of crowd. It's for people who are looking for a unique spiritual experience while having the freedom to surf uncrowded waves."

There's no pressure to chant mantras or accept Krishna consciousness, but guests are fairly likely to catch the surfing bug. I certainly did, finally getting a few decent rides after many tries. Standing on the board, propelled ahead of the crests, one feels as light as sea foam - as though the weight of the world were suddenly lifted. But the mind tends to tire faster than the body. In what was supposed to be a moment of rest, I stop paying attention to the waves and find my thoughts drifting to shore, following what Buddhists calls the "monkey mind," a capricious creature that jumps hither and thither beyond one's control.

Big mistake. With the ocean at my back, a wave breaks on top of me and sends me under. I flail around, gasping for air as my nostrils fill with water. "There's one thing about surfing," Daruka says later. "It forces you to stay in the present moment. If you turn your back to Mother Ocean for even a second, she'll definitely give you a wake-up call." For decades, Westerners on the hippie trail have come to India looking for such a wake-up call. The Beatles' George Harrison famously became a follower of Prabhupada himself. An often facile fascination, this has given birth to a spiritual tourism industry that peddles enlightenment like so many cheap trinkets. In this land of sadhus, cranks and dharma bums, one tends to built up a healthy resistance to spiritual remedies offering an exotic soul-cleansing.

So the very idea of "surfing swamis" might seem comical or even outlandish to some. It's not. One need not be a devotee of Krishna or study the Bhagavad Gita to learn something at the Kaliya Mardana Krishna Ashram - something more than surfing, even. On these stretches of white sand, or beneath the shade of palm trees, one finds nothing more and nothing less than a simpler way of life. And as Daruka points out during one of the long lulls between swells, riding the waves is only a part of surfing's appeal. There's a rush of adrenaline when you finally mount that wave, yet it seems about 90 percent of your time is actually spent waiting for the next one. Surfing is as much about spending time with nature - call her Mother Ocean if you like - clearing one's head of mundane clutter, and hanging out with kindred spirits. Actually, that's not a bad metaphor for spiritual pursuits, for as many meditation masters have taught, "The path and the goal are one." I turn my gaze the ocean again, searching in vain for the next wave.

travel@thenational.ae

THE BIO

Bio Box

Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul

Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader

Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Favorite food: seafood

Favorite place to travel: Lebanon

Favorite movie: Braveheart

 

 

 

'Skin'

Dir: Guy Nattiv

Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

The Bio

Ram Buxani earned a salary of 125 rupees per month in 1959

Indian currency was then legal tender in the Trucial States.

He received the wages plus food, accommodation, a haircut and cinema ticket twice a month and actuals for shaving and laundry expenses

Buxani followed in his father’s footsteps when he applied for a job overseas

His father Jivat Ram worked in general merchandize store in Gibraltar and the Canary Islands in the early 1930s

Buxani grew the UAE business over several sectors from retail to financial services but is attached to the original textile business

He talks in detail about natural fibres, the texture of cloth, mirrorwork and embroidery 

Buxani lives by a simple philosophy – do good to all

Day 3, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance

Moment of the day Just three balls remained in an exhausting day for Sri Lanka’s bowlers when they were afforded some belated cheer. Nuwan Pradeep, unrewarded in 15 overs to that point, let slip a seemingly innocuous delivery down the legside. Babar Azam feathered it behind, and Niroshan Dickwella dived to make a fine catch.

Stat of the day - 2.56 Shan Masood and Sami Aslam are the 16th opening partnership Pakistan have had in Tests in the past five years. That turnover at the top of the order – a new pair every 2.56 Test matches on average – is by far the fastest rate among the leading Test sides. Masood and Aslam put on 114 in their first alliance in Abu Dhabi.

The verdict Even by the normal standards of Test cricket in the UAE, this has been slow going. Pakistan’s run-rate of 2.38 per over is the lowest they have managed in a Test match in this country. With just 14 wickets having fallen in three days so far, it is difficult to see 26 dropping to bring about a result over the next two.

Abu Dhabi GP schedule

Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm

Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm

Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm

COMPANY PROFILE

Company name: OneOrder
Started: March 2022
Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice
Based: Cairo
Number of staff: 82
Investment stage: Series A

FROM THE ASHES

Director: Khalid Fahad

Starring: Shaima Al Tayeb, Wafa Muhamad, Hamss Bandar

Rating: 3/5

Normcore explained

Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.

SPECS

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

West Asia rugby, season 2017/18 - Roll of Honour

Western Clubs Champions League - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Bahrain

Dubai Rugby Sevens - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons

West Asia Premiership - Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins

UAE Premiership Cup - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Dubai Exiles

UAE Premiership - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins

ROUTE TO TITLE

Round 1: Beat Leolia Jeanjean 6-1, 6-2
Round 2: Beat Naomi Osaka 7-6, 1-6, 7-5
Round 3: Beat Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-2
Round 4: Beat Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-0
Quarter-final: Beat Marketa Vondrousova 6-0, 6-2
Semi-final: Beat Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-4
Final: Beat Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-2

Children who witnessed blood bath want to help others

Aged just 11, Khulood Al Najjar’s daughter, Nora, bravely attempted to fight off Philip Spence. Her finger was injured when she put her hand in between the claw hammer and her mother’s head.

As a vital witness, she was forced to relive the ordeal by police who needed to identify the attacker and ensure he was found guilty.

Now aged 16, Nora has decided she wants to dedicate her career to helping other victims of crime.

“It was very horrible for her. She saw her mum, dying, just next to her eyes. But now she just wants to go forward,” said Khulood, speaking about how her eldest daughter was dealing with the trauma of the incident five years ago. “She is saying, 'mama, I want to be a lawyer, I want to help people achieve justice'.”

Khulood’s youngest daughter, Fatima, was seven at the time of the attack and attempted to help paramedics responding to the incident.

“Now she wants to be a maxillofacial doctor,” Khulood said. “She said to me ‘it is because a maxillofacial doctor returned your face, mama’. Now she wants to help people see themselves in the mirror again.”

Khulood’s son, Saeed, was nine in 2014 and slept through the attack. While he did not witness the trauma, this made it more difficult for him to understand what had happened. He has ambitions to become an engineer.

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo hybrid
Power: 680hp
Torque: 1,020Nm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.5L/100km
On sale: Early 2024
Price: From Dh530,000 (estimate)

Story of 2017-18 so far and schedule to come

Roll of Honour

Who has won what so far in the West Asia rugby season?

 

Western Clubs Champions League

Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins

Runners up: Bahrain

 

Dubai Rugby Sevens

Winners: Dubai Exiles

Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons

 

West Asia Premiership

Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons

Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins

 

UAE Premiership Cup

Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins

Runners up: Dubai Exiles

 

Fixtures

Friday

West Asia Cup final

5pm, Bahrain (6pm UAE time), Bahrain v Dubai Exiles

 

West Asia Trophy final

3pm, The Sevens, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Sports City Eagles

 

Friday, April 13

UAE Premiership final

5pm, Al Ain, Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins

COMPANY PROFILE

Company: Eco Way
Started: December 2023
Founder: Ivan Kroshnyi
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Electric vehicles
Investors: Bootstrapped with undisclosed funding. Looking to raise funds from outside

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft Toronto
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms: Playstation 4, Xbox One, Windows
​​​​​​​Release Date: April 10

Haemoglobin disorders explained

Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.

Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.

The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.

The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.

A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.

Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi

From: Dara

To: Team@

Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT

Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East

Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.

Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.

I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.

This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.

It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.

Uber on,

Dara

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Haltia.ai
Started: 2023
Co-founders: Arto Bendiken and Talal Thabet
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: AI
Number of employees: 41
Funding: About $1.7 million
Investors: Self, family and friends

2017 RESULTS: FRENCH VOTERS IN UK

First round
Emmanuel Macron: 51.1%
Francois Fillon: 24.2%
Jean-Luc Melenchon: 11.8%
Benoit Hamon: 7.0%
Marine Le Pen: 2.9%

Second round
Emmanuel Macron: 95.1%
Marine Le Pen: 4.9%

The Sheikh Zayed Future Energy Prize

This year’s winners of the US$4 million Sheikh Zayed Future Energy Prize will be recognised and rewarded in Abu Dhabi on January 15 as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainable Week, which runs in the capital from January 13 to 20.

From solutions to life-changing technologies, the aim is to discover innovative breakthroughs to create a new and sustainable energy future.

Confirmed bouts (more to be added)

Cory Sandhagen v Umar Nurmagomedov
Nick Diaz v Vicente Luque
Michael Chiesa v Tony Ferguson
Deiveson Figueiredo v Marlon Vera
Mackenzie Dern v Loopy Godinez

Tickets for the August 3 Fight Night, held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, went on sale earlier this month, through www.etihadarena.ae and www.ticketmaster.ae.

The specs

Engine: Single front-axle electric motor
Power: 218hp
Torque: 330Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 402km (claimed)
Price: From Dh215,000 (estimate)
On sale: September

COMPANY PROFILE

Company name: Revibe
Started: 2022
Founders: Hamza Iraqui and Abdessamad Ben Zakour
Based: UAE
Industry: Refurbished electronics
Funds raised so far: $10m
Investors: Flat6Labs, Resonance and various others