-Ehan Hameem Bhuiyan
The trend of skateboarding has been ever-growing in Bangladesh, especially appealing to the young generation, and something which is still quite new and unknown to this region. It’s always captivating for people to try out something which is new and interesting. But it’s recognition has been spreading rapidly, due to two pioneers of skateboarding from Skaters Union, in Bangladesh, Abrar Junnun and Kafi. They and the Skaters Union as a whole, play a key part in introducing Skateboarding in this country. So, when did this journey of theirs start? When asked about it, Abrar replied, “It all started when Abrar first picked interest in Skateboarding back in 2014.” It was at a time when people barely knew about Skateboarding in this country. Then in 2018, he met Kafi, and ever since then, they have been spreading it rapidly throughout the whole of Dhaka city. New people are joining and getting introduced to the community everyday. New people are always welcomed and highly appreciated in the community.
With everything set in motion, what is the reason behind their drive of riding on these four wheels everyday? They said, “It is a getaway from the day-to-day chaotic life that we are leading.” Kafi said, “It’s like an addiction to me. Everyday I go out, I try learning something new and practicing different skills and tricks.” They are always trying to improve on what stunts they have been trying and working on it. This is what drives them to get out of their house with a skateboard daily. Ironically, it also works like a therapy for them, because when they are skateboarding, they get freed from all their stress and anxiety. It makes them feel a sense of freedom. It is also the drive of meeting new people and getting together with your friends that pulls you out of your house to go out and have fun.
We inquired whether Skateboarding is a “free-soul sport”, they replied, “You can’t compare skateboarding with any other sport. It’s a unique sport.” They describe the art of skateboarding as a form of being themselves. It’s because every individual is always trying something different and one-off. They say that skateboarding gives you the freedom of doing what you want to do, and how you want to do it. Everyone has a different style and every person gives off different vibes. It gives people the freedom to be different. Here, in a way, you are your own competitor as you challenge yourself, try to pull off new tricks hiding up your sleeves. There’s no limit to what you can do with these four wheels and the joy you have while doing it.
From the outside it looks like fun but rather a dangerous sport. So we asked them if it is an extreme sport. They replied that it depends from person to person and how they skate, and where they set their bars, what types of stunts you are trying to do. The more you fall, the more you learn and the more you keep trying. Many parents are resistant to getting their children a skateboard as it seems dangerous to them. To this, Abrar had a simple reply, “If you want to do skateboarding, you have to take falls.” Furthermore, he added, “If you don’t try and fail you’ll not learn how to skate. And the bumps and falls won’t even matter once you start skating.” This keeps them pushing their limits everyday and gets the maximum out of each other. During this age, everyone gets tired of sitting with their phone all day, so at one point, even the parents want their kids to go outside and have some fun.
Considering the popularity of skateboarding has been rising with the added exposure of portraying it on social media, skating is always expanding. They say, it will take some time to grow but surely it will grow, if it’s being introduced to more people. Happiness brings people of all backgrounds together, in one place and by seeing it, more people want to join. This expands the skating community more. The key element of skating is to have fun while doing it. So, why don’t you grab a skateboard and hop outside to have a thrilling experience?
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