Welcome to Paddle For Future!

India’s Biggest (SUP) Stand Up Paddle Board Program

Paddle for Future is an initiative to create a sustainable movement to protect inland water bodies through sport and awareness.

Spearheaded by Kumaran Mahalingam, a known name in the standup paddleboarding scene in India.

Using Stand up paddleboarding as a flagship sport the project actively involves the local community to participate in training and in conserving the lakes.
Indian cities have been blessed with numerous lakes and ponds, wetlands but with rapid urbanization and poor waste management, changing lifestyle these water bodies are declining and getting reduced into garbage dump yards. These water body ecosystems are very critical for remaining flora, fauna and aquifer recharge, water supply.

We are now 10+

Aim

Paddle for Future program strives to conserve these water bodies through research, education, and sports. With a team of Environmentalists, Fitness experts, Engineers, Geologists, Herpetologists and Zoologists, Paddle for change program fights to conserve our water bodies for our future generations by inspiring a personal connection to the environment and help develop the actions to sustain it.

Over the last 10 years, we have

Reached more than 8500 students on special focus for government-run schools through workshops, outdoor learning programs which asserts on the importance of being connected to nature.
Tons of trash through coordinated mass clean ups and daily clean up by employing locals on daily wages, providing employment opportunities and leaving behind cleaner water bodies.
Introduced and conducted numerous free discover paddleboarding sessions. These sessions engaged urban citizens in understanding water bodies and their relationship with it. Eye-opener session which encouraged more people to step outside their comfort zone and attempt an ‘adventure in their backyard’, mobilised young people engagement in civic issues via adventure and finally showcasing the immense accessibility of the SUP sport (the fastest growing water sports in the world!) as a means of creating additional Eco-tourism opportunities in India’s great outdoors.
The green cover initiative, a program to plant and maintenance of native tree species around water bodies using local residents.
Keeping the Principles of Ecotourism – “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education”In end of 2018, with combination of Geospatial skillsets, Geography Knowledge, Expeditions Experience helped us to identify a Place for our Human Powered Watersports and Outdoor Science Center in banks of Mighty River Kollidam closer to Chidambaram town and Pichavaram Tourist Center. Kollidam Estuary is remote, serene, unpolluted place, even who resides in Chidambaram town hardly knows about this place. Established our first permanent school cum camp for paddle sports and outdoor science activities with name “Mangrovebayecocamp“