Skateboarding in India runs on dust, broken concrete, and limited infrastructure, but it keeps progressing with consistency. Across dense urban environments like Mumbai and in lesser-known cities, skaters are navigating uneven terrain, heavy traffic, and constant unpredictability, turning whatever space is available into something skateable.

Spot selection is driven by necessity. Streets, plazas, and overlooked structures become functional terrain, shaping a style that’s direct, controlled, and adapted to real conditions. There’s a clear emphasis on line choice, efficiency, and board control over ideal surfaces.

The scene operates independently, with skaters handling filming, editing, and distribution, while also building and maintaining DIY spots. Progression is visible in both technical level and output, with a steady stream of footage coming out of different parts of the country.

What’s happening is structured through repetition, access, and adaptation a grounded, street-focused scene defining itself through use of space and consistency on the board.

Led by Shredder and lensman fernandoferreira.eth, a name already stamped in both skate and visual culture, this initiative aims to capture India’s skateboarding scene at scale, something no one has done with real cohesion before.

If you tapped into the Gnars Thailand output during Devcon Bangkok (featured in 7 Capas / 7CTV), you already know the level. This time, the scope is bigger, deeper, and way more necessary.

The mission is clear:

• Document the raw diversity of skate scenes across India

• Celebrate the skaters, builders, and cultural drivers behind it

• Connect local energy with the global skate network

• Sustain it all through onchain distribution and NFT-powered funding

This isn’t just content. It’s a living archive.

Skateboarding in India isn’t waiting for perfect conditions. In cities where pavement is a luxury, skaters are still making it work. Spots are found, not given.

Mumbai alone is estimated to have over 30,000 skaters. Let that sink in.

From Bangalore to Delhi, Jaipur to the in-betweens, DIY parks, street spots, and community-driven projects are shaping a scene that’s both gritty and deeply connected. It’s not polished, and that’s exactly why it matters.

Perched on top of a small building, on the edge of the monochrome city of Gwalior, sits one of the most vibrant underground pockets in the country: the Gwalior Sickness Centre (GSC).

GSC is where everything collides skateboarding, music, graffiti, tattoos, and whatever else shows up with intent. It’s the kind of place you don’t plan to find, but once you do, it sticks with you.

Last November, the crew pulled up for Chambal Mein Rumble ; three days of pure cultural overload.

Skaters, tattoo artists, musicians, dancers, writers, all packed into one rooftop ecosystem. Days blurred into nights. Everyone slept under the same tent, right above the park. A bonfire kept conversations alive through the cold. Downstairs, inside the skateshop, DJs and live bands pushed the energy into full chaos, sweaty, loud, and completely unfiltered.

No barriers. No gatekeeping. Just community in its rawest form.

Backside Rockslide	Grommet Ollie

Fernando will be hitting Chennai to capture the local skate scene in all its raw energy. Expect fast lines, creative tricks, and authentic moments as he documents the city’s rising skaters. Alongside the action, there will be a Gnarly T-shirt giveaway and opportunities to spread awareness about the Gnars DAO, connecting riders directly with the onchain community and the culture we’re building together.

Skateboarding in Chennai started as a small, underground movement in the early 2000s, fueled by a handful of passionate riders experimenting on streets, sidewalks, and any open concrete they could find. With minimal infrastructure and limited skateparks, the scene grew DIY-style, relying on local creativity and community-driven meetups. O

ver the years, Chennai’s skaters have carved out their own identity, blending global skate culture with local flavors, and slowly building a resilient, tight-knit community that continues to push tricks, host jams, and inspire the next generation of Indian skateboarders.

''Hyderabad Skate isn’t a single place''

Growing skateboarding culture in the city of Hyderabad, India. Over the past decade this subculture has evolved from a small fringe group into a vibrant, community‑driven movement.

While India still lacks widespread public skateparks, dedicated crews and grassroots groups like Hyderabad Skaters and sk8hyd have been building momentum by organizing meet‑ups, practice sessions, and community workshops.

One of the core hubs for the scene is WallRide Park, an asphalt pump track and skate/BMX facility on Chevella Road that attracts riders from around the region and even hosts competitions, making it one of the most important skate spots in South India.

What’s notable about Hyderabad’s skate culture is how inclusive and self‑organized it has become. Groups like Girls Skate Hyderabad are creating space for women and queer skaters in what has traditionally been a male‑dominant environment, reshaping who gets to ride and how community is built.

In essence, Hyderabad Skate represents a young, hungry, DIY spirit, skaters navigating limited infrastructure and making the most of urban spots, while steadily expanding the sport’s footprint in India and beyond.

As Fernando puts it: "Going there and photographing this raw, authentic scene is definitely one of the things that drives me."

This is exactly where Gnars hits different.

• As a pioneer in onchain action sports, Gnars isn’t just funding projects it’s enabling culture to document itself, own its narrative, and circulate globally without dilution.

• Supporting initiatives like this it’s alignment.

• India’s skate scene doesn’t need validation, it needs amplification. And Gnars provides the rails to slide that story straight into a global context, while feeding value back into the DAO through NFTs and media distribution.

This is how you build something that lasts.

With Devconnect 2026 landing in Mumbai, we’re not just talking about another event, we’re talking about a paradigm shift. Placing a global blockchain and crypto convergence in the heart of India flips the script, challenging expectations and opening doors to new possibilities.

The question isn’t if worlds will collid... it’s how radically.

And just like this event shakes the traditional tech map, Gnars is doing the same for action sports onchain. By bringing skate culture, community, and digital ownership together, we’re proving that innovation isn’t only about code or capital, it’s about creating structures that let culture thrive, transparently, and sustainably.

So… are we getting a Noggles Rail out there?

Because with energy and coordination like this, India isn’t just on the radar, it’s redefining the game. And technically speaking, every trick, every drop, every mint, every NFT sale feeds directly back into the DAO, proving the loop between culture and onchain utility.

This is how you build something that lasts.

See you soon with the next edition of Gnarly News, family! Let’s shred, create and make even more impact in 2026!