‘We say, skate and destroy! Just commit and do it’: India’s skatergirl pioneers

India’s small group of female skateboarders are smashing stereotypes and forming strong communities. We hear some of their stories

by Roshni Khatri

Growing up in Delhi, India, I was always fascinated by the stories of women who challenged societal norms and broke barriers. As a photographer, I am passionate about capturing the stories of such trailblazing women, as their stories inspire and empower others to pursue their dreams.

India is a country of diversity and growth. Even though women face many challenges, many are pushing back against the status quo and carving out their own paths in life. I have also always wanted to use my work to contribute to the representation of south Asian women in the media and break down stereotypes.

Urmila, Tulika and Shruti in Mumbai in March

India’s female skaters are a force to be reckoned with, defying cultural norms in the male-dominated world of skateboarding. From Mumbai to Pune, these women are mastering the sport, inspiring others to embrace their passions and strive for greatness. Many want to share the joy of skateboarding with the world and teach classes and workshops.

However, skateboarding is still a relatively new and niche sport in India, and female skateboarders often face numerous obstacles. There are few skate parks in the country, and they are often far from where the women live. Additionally, there are few female skateboarding instructors or mentors, which can make it challenging for women to learn and improve their skills.

Despite these obstacles, the female skateboarders of India have created a strong and supportive community. Most of them know each other, and they share a sense of sisterhood. They have built a community that provides support, encouragement, and a sense of belonging. During my time with them, I witnessed the camaraderie and bond some of them share with each other. They not only help each other improve their skateboarding skills, but also provide emotional support and encouragement to pursue their dreams.

Antima Bisht skateboarding — Antima Bisht practising in Mumbai in March

It was refreshing to see male skateboarders also show their support. They recognise the talent and hard work of their female counterparts and embrace them in the sport. This supportive environment has contributed to the growth of the skateboarding scene in India.

During my project, I spent time getting to know the female skateboarders and their environments. I photographed them at the skate parks and at home. Many of them travel for hours using public trains, autorickshaws and buses to reach the parks. I was amazed at the dedication and hard work these women put into perfecting their craft.

Despite facing challenges, such as a lack of resources and social stigma, they remain persistent in their pursuit of skateboarding excellence. I admired their strength and resilience, and it was a privilege to capture their passion. These skateboarders are determined to do what they love. Their perseverance is a true inspiration to all those who face obstacles in pursuing their passions.

These are the stories of the female skateboarders whose lives I followed.

Antima stepped on to a skateboard for the first time in 2013. She started skating with a few friends and picked it up within three to four months. She got into skateboarding while doing longboarding, a sister sport.

“The gender ratio is 95% to 5% in skateboarding and longboarding both. If girls don’t see other girls doing the sport, they hesitate to start – it’s very natural, I guess. I also appreciate that the boys of this community are really nice, very welcoming and help you to learn. That’s how I learned and every female skater I can see right now is helped and motivated by boys. The number of girls is less right now, but it’s slowly increasing.”

“Being a girl and being into skateboarding has its own perks as well. So it’s not only misery. There are people who approach you and appreciate you. Initially it was difficult getting into a group of boys and doing something which hurts you. When I started the sport, I used to come home every day with injuries. I had a major injury as well – I had 4-5 stitches above my eyebrow. But my mum and dad also got used to it. And I am coaching now and doing endorsements, and somehow my life is circling around skateboarding and longboarding and I am really proud of it.

“One of the things that made me very passionate was that I was able to pass [the sport] down to many people. Anyone around here, when they see someone on a skateboard, they want to try it. I have been able to give that experience to so many people throughout the years. I feel amazing when skateboarding: balancing it, taking turns, the wind in my hair … It gives me a lot of confidence.

“Skateboarding is a new sport in India, so there is a lot of opportunity. Recently, because of the infrastructure built in the last 3–4 years, a lot of young kids are picking up this sport. These are the people who will shape our country’s future. Indians are good at sports, so the future is very bright.”

Tulika has been skateboarding only for a year and is also a second-year college student. She went for a holiday in Goa and her cousin, who used to waveboard, got her into it. After waveboarding for a year, gradually her interest developed in skateboarding, and a friend gave her a board.

“I feel like I am doing something different, and that’s what I love about skateboarding. We can also do what boys can, it’s all about mentality and thinking. With more practice, we can reach their level.”

Tulika Nag skateboarding in March 2023 in Mumbai

“One day I was waiting at the bus station traveling to the [skate]park, and an uncle came up to me and started asking me: ‘Is there any future in this? It doesn’t matter if boys do this, but what will you do if you fall? You can get hurt, doesn’t your family say anything to you?’ I just ignored him and took an autorickshaw instead. I didn’t want to listen to his shit. Some people think it is worthless, it is useless – basically it’s not cricket in India. People don’t know about skateboarding so they think it’s just a waste of time.

“Recently [the sport] is growing very fast because people are adapting the skateboarding culture in India, now that skateboarding is a part of the Olympics as an extreme sport.

“I have slowly started playing in competitions so my family has started supporting me, but in the initial days they stopped me from going back to practise every time I came home with a new injury. So we say ‘Skate and destroy’. Some our friends even have it tattooed. It’s all about fun, just commit and do it.”

Sareena’s sister’s friend got her into skateboarding in 2021. She practises daily and has also been competing.

“When we go on tours, there are very few girls compared with boys. Someone has to come and convince my family to send me; boys don’t have to face that, they can pack their bags and just go.

“Skateboarding has taught me that I have a family there also: my skater homies and the unity we have is really strong, it’s amazing.”

Sareena in her room — Sareena in her home in Mumbai in March 2023

“I don’t like to talk that much, but I have learned how to interact with people, approach them, be kind.

“It’s the best feeling ever when I am on my board. It’s like I cannot think of anything else, just concentrate and focus on the trick.

“For me, skateboarding is not a hobby, it’s like the main project. So when I do that, I am just having a lot of fun. It’s all about having fun with the people around you.”

Born and brought up in Mumbai, Urmila has decided to choose skateboarding as a profession. She used to roller-skate when she was five. Later in college, she saw a bunch of skateboarders, who intrigued her. A friend introduced her to the sport and when she got to know that there was actually a skatepark in Mumbai, she started going there and decided to take the sport seriously.

“We have very few girls right now. If someone wants to really learn, we want to teach them. It would be really cool to have them be a part of our crew.”

Urmila travelling to the skatepark in Mumbai in March 2023

“When I go out on the street and just cruise with my skateboard, people just stop me in the middle of nowhere and ask: ‘Can I do this? Can I do that?’–It’s like a circus for them. And that’s so funny, but I feel bad because people don’t see us as athletes. This sport is something which I think should be taken seriously, but people don’t.

“I wear baggy clothes, I wear short dresses. Sometimes people look at me like I am some crazy girl walking with a skateboard. I don’t care what people think. One day I know things will change and I want to bring the change. I want to be in the Olympics and win the medal for our country.

“In skateboarding I can feel myself. In this sport, you learn to never give up on anything – it actually teaches you life.”

Born in Bengaluru, Atita is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of women’s skateboarding in India. A friend introduced her to skateboarding in 2012, when she was just 19. She founded the Girl Skate India project in 2015, which aims to empower young girls through skateboarding and has organised several skateboarding events across the country.

“The people I started skating with were the first-generation skateboarders in India. When I found skateboarding, I thought it was such a good channel to put all my energy into.

“It was almost like a necessity for me, like I wouldn’t feel right if I wouldn’t go to the skatepark on a Sunday and spend all that energy. Stopping was not even a thing in my head. I was just like, I am gonna be a skateboarder till I die.”

“There are no rules in skateboarding, there is no strict structure. It’s just you and your board and you let creativity unfold as it happens. And it’s so liberating: that feeling of not having any boundaries, and the endless things you can do on a skateboard.

“It matched my personality really well. There is no competition, there is no right or wrong way of doing it. Everything is embraced, you can do the same trick in different ways and each person has their own way of doing it.”

“I started Girl Skate India because I wanted to see more girls in the country doing whatever the guys were doing, because I thought it was so cool. I remember thinking more girls need to be a part of this because there are already so many guys witnessing this magic.

“With skateboarding, I learned resilience and to not give up, whether it takes two years to learn a trick or two hours – you keep trying until you land it.

“It has taught me about confidence, and how important it is to have a clear mind. You can’t really go and skateboard if you’re feeling really messed up in your head, because then you might just fall and do something silly and hurt yourself.

“There needs to be more female skateboarders, there needs to be more skateparks and we need to make more progress in this for sure. And it cannot happen always from the inside. There is only so much as individuals or as skateboarders that you can do for your scene or your country. These things are bigger than one or two individuals. I think [with skateboarding] being an Olympic sport now, there is no reason for it to not get more support or funding.”

Shraddha is from Maharashtra and now lives in Pune. Her father worked as a security guard at Decathlon [sports store] in Pune and she used to deliver lunch to him after school. There she saw a trial skateboard and wanted to use it. She started going regularly to give her dad lunch and tried using the skateboard again. One of the employees at Decathlon later gave her a board, and that’s how her journey began. She won a gold medal in the National Games in 2022 and also played a bit part in the film Skater Girl, released in 2021 on Netflix.

“I will skateboard until whenever I can. My dream is to represent India in the Olympics.

“A girl should not care about what society thinks. If you’re dedicated, you will find a way and people will support you. Just focus on the goal and don’t stop even when you get pushed back.”

Shruti is a skater who has competed and won state- and national-level competitions. She also teaches skateboarding. She used to go to dance practice, and on one occasion she saw some boys skating nearby. Another male skateboarder gave her a board, which is how she got started.

“In 2017, I was the only girl in Mumbai skateboarding. It felt like I was doing something really different.

“I learned tricks by looking at the boys. I didn’t tell my family I was skateboarding for the first year and a half. When my grandmother got to know that I was skateboarding, she said: ‘This is not something that girls do. If you break some bones, who will marry you?’

“Skateboarding is my passion, it is my life. I will always keep doing it. If I am ever unable to skate myself and my body gives up, I would try to build a bigger skating community and teach more girls.

“My dream is for people to use skateboards, longboards or BMX bikes to travel. It would control pollution, people would stay fit and it would be fun too.”