Continuing the series of blogs by IWRM on Indian women who have smashed stereotypes and have entered male bastions, here is the third piece on Indian Women Skaters.
India’s 1st Pro Female Skater Atita Verghese Teaches Young Girls To Skate To Defy Social Taboos
In a country that is more synonymous with traditional culture, conservatism, and women not pushing against the social norms, Atita Verghese is a breath of fresh and is determined to lead a whole generation of other young women in her wake as she skates her way through a social revolution. She is India’s most prominent female skateboarder and began grinding the rails at age 19 in Goa. She has been a pro for nearly 3 years and today she trains many of Bangalore’s budding skaters. It wasn’t always easy being the only girl in a very male-dominated sport, let alone in a country where there are certain expectations placed on women as they grow up.
Atita’s mother sadly became an acid attack victim, a crime that is overwhelmingly aimed at women in order to keep them from breaking away from the gender expectations. It wasn’t just about rebelling against the social norms, it was also a way to challenge the way gender violence has been allowed to go unchecked and unaccounted for many years.
“We have to allow [partnerships] between all genders to exist harmoniously and find a solution for this self-destructive world that we live in. The idea of locking women up and covering them up is not a solution, it is part of the problem. We must really investigate and play close attention to how we raise our boys, and start with them first,” she says.
Atita says the skate parks she visits and helps build become a safe haven where stereotypes surrounding gender, sexuality and other taboos do not matter. Along with the emphasis on skating, Atita and her crew teach young kids math, English, photography, art etc. She describes her role as now more of social worker, because of the way they were now seen by local neighborhoods who would donate and encourage Atita and her crew to continue helping the children. What started with a passion for skating and wanting to do life on her own terms, has become a valuable empowering tool for girls in boys who she comes in contact with to think differently about the world and find a way to make positive change in their communities.
“There is something inherently wrong with the way in which society has conditioned our idea of femininity. The misconception here is that one needs to be meek in order to be feminine. Consequently, girls grow up to be very conscious of their bodies. Young girls need to understand that you can be strong, get on the skateboard, and go home and wear nail polish, all at the same time,”
“Our societal structure is such that, once a girl hits puberty, it is considered inappropriate for her to be seen jumping around outside. Generation after generation of female oppression has resulted in women lagging behind physically. Girls tend to be hesitant and often shy about falling while learning. It becomes necessary to hold their hands, show them what is possible and get them involved in the alternate sub-culture that is evolving in cities such as Bangalore,” she added.
Atita spearheads an organization called Girls Skate India in 2014, and hosted a tour featuring 12 other girls from around the world, traveling across India teaching other young girls how to skate and build ramps. Girls Skate India is the first and largest platform to feature, connect and increase the number of female skateboarders in the country and they are mostly self-funded.
“I truly believe there is a female revolution happening in skateboarding right now and the fight is what will push us to achieve more to realize what we are capable of,” She had found her mission – to encourage more girls to take up skateboarding.
In December 2015, Atita and the Girl Skate India team organised India’s first all-girls skateboarding tour, covering four locations in India – Bengaluru, Goa, Kovalam (Tamil Nadu) and Hampi (Karnataka). Atita brought together 12 female skateboarders from nine different countries and they travelled in a bus to the different locations, spreading the message of skateboarding and also helping to build another skate park in Bengaluru.
Atita’s dream is to make skateboarding in India a movement as big as Skateistan, which started in Afghanistan and has now also spread to Cambodia and South Africa. 40% of Skateistan’s skateboard enthusiasts are girls and 60% come from underprivileged backgrounds.
Chennai girl set for Belgium World Skating Championship
Aarathy Kasturiraj, a skater from the city, has many accolades to her credit. And now, this young medical student is set to participate in the World Championship in Belgium this month. Aarathy is the only girl skater from the state to represent India.
Nineteen-year-old Aarathy, who practises for almost seven hours a day, currently concentrates on building endurance to prepare for both short and long races in the championship. “I will be competing in 200m, 500m, 1000m, 10km, 15km and 42km races. For that, I have been following a strict diet to gain energy, apart from morning warm-ups at Island Grounds and long distance practices, for which I skate from Chennai to Mahabalipuram.”
She has also undergone several international training sessions, says that she started doing roller skating since she was seven. She says, “I got attracted to skating after watching children doing it at Anna Nagar Tower Park during my regular visits there with my mother. And once I started to practise, the speed and balance gave me a thrill and helped me enjoy the sport. She has won 112 medals in the sport. Frequent falls, numerous bruises and a bleeding chin haven’t deterred her from skating.
Aarathy was seven when she took to skating. She is the first girl from India to finish 10 in the World Championship held at China in 2009 and in Korea in 2011. “These victories and bagging the National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement in 2008 are special to me. I started skating in 2001 and participated in my first Nationals in 2002. It took me four years to win my first National gold medal and I now have 24 National medals to my credit. I have 112, of which 95 are gold, 10 are silver and seven, bronze. This includes medals won both at the national and international levels.
I train six hours a day…5 to 8 in the morning and 5.30 to 8.30 in the evening.” The time in between is spent at college (SRMC), cramming her mind with Gray’s Anatomy. “I return from college by 4.30, quickly change, eat and set out for practice. Once I get back, I spend an hour studying…that’s on some days.” I have no time to go out with friends, or go partying, no time for television…I also have to follow a healthy diet and stay off junk food. But I don’t regret it because I know I have to give up something to achieve something.”
“From when I started, till now, I have seen quite a few people taking to the sport. At the District or State Championships, you see a good turnout,” she says, pleased with the growing popularity of the sport.
When Girls Skateboard in India
Indian Women Revolution Movement 