Bengaluru's Skater Girls Ride Concrete Waves
Despite multiple lockdowns and a largely prejudiced society, a few girl skaters in the city are still stoked to skate.
The Cave, Holystoked's dedicated skatepark.
Built by skaters, for skaters – Holystoked’s 'the Cave' in North Bengaluru is home to the city’s oldest dedicated skatepark.
It has become a safe haven over the past seven years for skaters, musicians and artists, especially women, to skate, create and grow without judgement.
Bharani Priya, 26, has been skating for the past three years.
An “architect by degree”, she interned in the city and travelled for a year, when she came across skating.
“I was volunteering at Varanashi farms in a small village called Adyanadka near Mangalore. I saw a mini ramp there, I just started skating. I saw all these skaters there and found it pretty interesting.”
Judgement seems to be the biggest hurdle while starting out. “When I started, at the farm, I’d make use of the time when nobody was around, then there was nobody watching so it was very comfortable for me, I didn’t feel shy. You don’t feel confident when everybody’s watching.”
Another similar challenge, she says, is fear. “To break out of the fear would be the biggest challenge I think, the more you keep getting on the board, the better.”
“We’re trying to do ‘girls skate day’ every week, to try and get more girls skating. But not a lot show up these days because they’re busy and the COVID scene. It’s not happening currently but it’d be nice if we had something like that.”
She says there are a good number of regular girl skaters in the city, and events like this would help in bringing the community together.
Priya performs a rock to fakie on a quarter pipe.
Priya performs a rock to fakie on a quarter pipe.
Another regular at the park, 20-year-old Shrusti DV, has only been skating for a year.
She wears protective gear such as elbow and knee pads like most cautious beginners who protect themselves from the much-expected slips and falls on the concrete.
“My friend got me here to this skatepark and I wanted to try it. I was scared at the beginning but later on, I gave myself the full day from morning to evening to practise. It took me 30 days to learn. Now I’m pretty much comfortable on the board.”
Shrusti is currently pursuing a BCA at Seshadripuram college in the city, but comes to the park to skate every day.
“Even one day is important to not get off balance.”
She stays around the park with her sister. “She was like ‘you’re a freak, who does that?’ (skate)... but after seeing my skating clips now she’s impressed.”
Only 17, Hayathi Manoj is the youngest regular skater girl at the park.
Manoj has been skating on-and-off for about six months, but has become a regular at the park now.
For her, getting into skating was 'totally random'.
"I've always seen people skating on Instagram, but never really thought of going to skate until my friend got a skateboard just for fun and we started skating on the streets around our neighbourhood."
One thing led to another, "I found the park and started taking lessons. Now I'm really into it."
Starting out isn't an easy task for most people. Especially not for Manoj.
"It was so intimidating the first two weeks, it took a whole mental procedure to get over my social anxiety because most of the skaters here are men. And for a female skater to come all alone, especially as a beginner and see the men doing crazy tricks, I felt anxious."
But then she quickly realised that everyone there was "chill" and "down to teach you shit."
Regulars at the park, Abhishek, Srushti and her trainer inspire her. "Kids too, they're fearless, they don't overthink."
"Everyone stares at you on the streets. It's not like the UK or something. If you go out on those four wheels, everyone is gonna look at you."
She says one gets used to it after a point if they go with people.
Not new to the alternative lifestyle, apart from skating, Manoj also plays the Bass for 'Ice Tea', Mount Carmel PU College's all-girl rock band.
Manoj falls off the board.
Manoj falls off the board.
"It's also important to eat shit sometimes," Manoj laughs as she falls multiple times trying to do rock to fakies and other ramp tricks.
But Manoj wasn’t the only one introduced to the Cave by a friend not as interested in skating.
Apara Subramanyam
The 30-year-old IISc research database manager still finds time to skate at least once a week.
Apara in a skate stance. Credit: Apara Subramanyam
Apara in a skate stance. Credit: Apara Subramanyam
In 2019, she was introduced to the park by a friend, who ironically, isn't as interested any more.
"I'd always want to learn how to skateboard, so I went there, made friends, and people would always teach me."
She got hooked onto it after the lockdown and got herself a skateboard.
Not a stranger to sports and outdoor activities, she also plays football, goes climbing, cycles and also surfs occasionally.
Falling from slopes is common. She recalls one time she hurt her ankle badly. "Because I'm old now, when old people get hurt, it takes them longer to heal so it took me about two weeks for the bruising to reduce."
credit: Apara Subramanyam
credit: Apara Subramanyam
"Skateboarding is the only other thing that gives me the exact same kick of adrenaline that I get from playing football."
Priya stands at her skate spot – the quarter-pipe.
Priya stands at her skate spot – the quarter-pipe.
Shrusti poses with her colourful board.
Shrusti poses with her colourful board.
Priya's sticker collection is three years old.
Priya's sticker collection is three years old.
Hayathi's "Destroy All Hate" board.
Hayathi's "Destroy All Hate" board.
Speaking of the skating community of women, or the lack of it in Bengaluru, despite there being a substantial number of skaters, Subramanyam adds,
"I know very few girl skaters, only the ones that come to the park. The community of women is not big enough, with boys they always talk to each other, and with women, there just aren't enough for company."
"With most women, they just lose interest, in most cases, I think this sport is not for them."
Hayathi and Priya discuss doing rock to fakies together.
Hayathi and Priya discuss doing rock to fakies together.
Abhishek, a co-founder of the Holystoked collective, has been skating for the past 11-12 years.
Having begun skating in Bengaluru, he is also involved in building skateparks to promote skate culture across the country as the co-founder of 100 ramps, a skatepark construction company.
Over the last decade, there's been a drastic change in the usually male-dominated field of skate culture in the city. "When we started skating, we saw no girls skating, and now there are a few."
The Cave has become a safe, judgement and prejudice-free zone for skaters in the city. People of all ages and skate styles – including rollerblading, come together.
Currently, there is no girl skate crew in the city. The 36-year-old hasn't noticed one and says it may be because "they all come separately and hang out with very different people so it's not like they all come at the same time to skate together."
"We try to do a girls skate day atleast once every few months, whenever a lot of girls come together and say they want to plan something... we'll do it."
"There are only four or five regular girl skaters at the park, and I'm comparing that with the regular boys who come everyday."
Despite the lack of regularity, the number of girls interested in skating has been increasing over the past two years, says Abhishek.
"There are a lot of skateparks coming up in different cities, and we built a skatepark for 'The Skater Girl' movie on Netflix. When it came out, a lot of parents showed interest in their daughters wanting to skate."
Skateboarding is becoming very mainstream, he adds, and people are more accepting of the sport now.
"It's a high impact sport, so you will get injured. People are used to boys getting injured and that's a slow change that has to happen that girls can get hurt too."
Pymul is Abhishek's honorary skater girl and is with him everyday at the park.
Pymul is Abhishek's honorary skater girl and is with him everyday at the park.
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