Boards, bonds & bruised knees on Chennai’s concrete

As the sun sets, a patch of concrete in Chennai shifts energy. Skateboards scrape, wheels rattle, and laughter rings out — not from children, but from adults arriving after work, ready to fall, fail, and try again. In a city where adulthood often means restraint and routine, these informal skate sessions offer something rare: permission. Permission to be clumsy. Permission to not know what you’re doing. Permission to simply play.

‘PEOPLE THINK YOU NEED TO BE YOUNG AND FEARLESS’Skateboarding in Chennai still carries a stigma, often dismissed as reckless or unserious — especially for adults. It usually takes place in Thiruvanmiyur, and sometimes, with a smaller crowd, near Anna Nagar Tower. “There’s very little awareness about skating here,” says organiser Jacob Dan Paul. “People think you need to be young and fearless. That assumption keeps a lot of people away.” The community, which began forming informally around 2022, was built on a simple idea: skateboarding is for everybody. Age, skill, confidence, or background aren’t meant to decide who gets to participate. “The aim is simple,” Jacob says.

‘IF SKATING ALREADY HAS BARRIERS, THEN ADDING MONEY DEFEATS THE PURPOSE’That belief shapes how the group operates. Skateboarding is expensive — a decent board and proper shoes can cost thousands. Charging people to access a space built around joy felt wrong. “If skating already has barriers, then adding money defeats the purpose,” Jacob explains. Beginners are welcomed easily. Boards are shared, basics explained, and falling treated as part of the process. “Falling is normal here,” says Kamali. “If you’re not falling, you’re probably not trying.”

PLAY WITHOUT PRODUCTIVITYFor many, skating is a release from structured lives and constant performance. “I work in an IT firm,” says Sai Prashant. “This is the one place where there’s no goal. I’m not trying to be productive. I’m just playing.” That freedom drew Divya, a Masters student in. “I didn’t feel this kind of freedom anywhere else,” she says. “Even if I don’t land anything, just being here changes my mood.” “You can’t fake it on a skateboard,” adds Infan, entrepreneur. “You fall again and again, and the only way forward is to get back up,” he adds. With limited skate spaces, sessions get interrupted and locations change. Still, the group adapts. “Skating teaches you to adjust,” Jacob says, “So, we do.”
Contributed by: Janani M