Bengaluru’s only free skate park needs your attention, NOW!

Falah Faisal | NT

Bengaluru: Skating culture is on the rise in Bengaluru with skateboards being more readily available than they once were. Holystoked Collective was almost single-handedly responsible for starting it back in 2010 when the skate group began by opening up a skate park in HSR Layout. The skate park not only provided a place for the skaters in the city to meet but also taught skating to nearly 200 underprivileged kids showing them a way out of poverty. Unfortunately, their first skate park shut in 2014. In 2015, they opened the Cave in Hegde Nagar which has remained a free skate park since its inception. Speaking to News Trail, one of the founders Abhishek said, “We have a shop there where we sell skateboards, and whatever we make from it we put into paying for the park. We don’t charge people to skate because we believe some activities should be free. We have been putting money from our own pockets to pay rent but it is no longer sustainable.” “We are hoping to get some sponsors who could have their logo on a wall which will help us pay rent and keep the park free but nothing has panned out yet,” said Abhishek who runs Holystoked with three partners. Tharun Teja, who works at the skate[1]park, to whom The Cave is a second home said, “Before I discovered Holystoked I was in a bad shape, I had just dropped out of college, I couldn’t get a job anywhere and wasted two years of my life. In 2011, I met these guys during an event and Amit Sub[1]ba, one of the first skaters in India, taught me how to skate and gave me a skateboard I couldn’t afford at the time. Since then I have been with them. In the last few years, I have started working at the park teaching lessons and taking care of sales and promotions. Holystoked was never about the money, they’ve always wanted to spread the culture and joy.” He is one of many who Holystoked has helped stand up on his feet, some of whom have gone on to become the best skaters in the country. And it is not just skateboarding but the Holystoked has also promoted street culture in general including slacklining, grappling, tattoos, and has also hosted concerts. Myke, a tattoo artist who is more famously known as Inkpatch, said, “Ever since I was a kid I wanted to skate but there was nowhere to go to. Finally, around the age of 28-29, I discovered Holystoked and discovered a community of skaters. It’s been a hub for street culture and one of the most unique havens in the city for skateboarders.” “Off-late we have been asking the kids to contribute at least a hundred bucks, we don’t want to charge them but right now we are forced to do this. And we don’t want to close it because it has become a home for so many kids who’ve learned how to skate and come there every day. It's one of the few things left in the city that you can do for free,” said Abhishek. Initiatives like these really need to be saved and promoted. What say? You can contribute to Holystoked Collective by donating at https://razorpay.me/@holystoked