As part of our birthday month, we sat down with Ram and Anu, two longtime members of the Soul & Surf family, to reflect on their journeys.
Words by Anita Seres | 17th October 25
Kerala. Waves. Long mornings with chai and the smell of the sea — and for those who call Soul & Surf home, it’s more than just a workplace. That’s where Ram and Anu found more than a job — they found a community.
As our birthday is slowly approaching, we sat down with Ram and Anu, two longtime members of the Soul & Surf family, to reflect on their journeys. Both joined the team in October 2015, starting in very different roles — Ram first, then Anu — and together they’ve grown with the community, discovering not just surf culture, but a way of life. Ram has also been instrumental behind the lens, capturing the moments that make Soul & Surf so vibrant.
Ram and Anu’s paths were intertwined even before Soul & Surf. They studied in high school together, sharing classrooms and early ambitions. When Ram joined Soul & Surf, he quickly saw an opportunity for Anu to join the team. “I called Anu the next week,” Ram recalls, “and just like that, we both became part of the family.” Anu laughs remembering his first day: “I didn’t even know much about surfing, but I knew it was going to be in a good place to grow.”
From assistant chef to assistant manager, Anu grew through the café, learning the ropes and taking on more responsibility as he went. Ram started as a waier and juice maker and eventually became general manager, handling bigger parts of the operation and the team. Both quickly realized this was nothing like any other place they had worked before.
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Ram: Soul & Surf was the first place where I ever cut a birthday cake. I never had a birthday cake before and the team surprised me with one - I had never experienced this growing up and it is still my favourite memory through my time here.
Anu: There were a lot of late-night adventures. On one occasion with Ram, Varghees and Blacky, we took a secret mission cleaning up waste in the early hours, turning what could have been a kind of gross task into laughter, music, and a sense of accomplishment. “We were dancing in the garden at 2 AM,” Anu recalls, “and it was one of the most fun nights of my life.”
Anita: This just made me think of one of the funniest Secret Santa’s I have ever experienced as a volunteer in India in 2019, when Rakhul got his favorite Beef and Paratha from the bottom of the pile of presents.
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Anu: Before Soul & Surf I was working 14 hour days for 500 rupees a month, and little respect was the norm. It was tough, but it taught me discipline and resilience. When I had a chance to leave though I was happy to try out something different. It was good to experience that different cultures of work exist, where you can have respect, the decisions are more collaborative, voices are heard and every individual matters. “That’s why we stay,” Anu explains. “It’s not just a workplace. It’s a family. It introduced me to surfing, it allowed me to meet thousands of people from all over the world, find love and to be able to travel - and my lifestyle completely changed. If this opportunity would not have come I would probably be working in the Middle East where a lot of our friends ended up.”
Ram echoes the sentiment: “Working here, every day is a lesson. I’ve learned from colleagues, from the community, and from the international guests we meet. It’s a life-changing experience.”
Some moments from Ram and Anu's time at Soul & Surf
As they reflect on the past ten years, Ram and Anu agree on one thing: Soul & Surf is more than a workplace. It’s about growth, community, adventure, and the joy of shared experiences. “Meeting new people, learning every day, and feeling part of something bigger — that’s what fuels me,” says Ram.
Anu nods in agreement: “I’ll miss this if it ever goes away. It’s changed everything — my life, my friendships, my love, my perspective.”
Kerala’s waves may change, but the spirit of Soul & Surf is steady — nurtured by people like Ram and Anu, who remind us that surfing is just one way to belong. More than boards and waves, this is a story of friendship and a community that continues to grow, together.
