How a social media plea is helping Mumbai's skaters revive the skatepark under Hindmata flyover in Dadar

In 2024 when skateboarding coach Harshad Kamble brought his mother to the Hindmata Skatepark to show her what the sport was all about the duo had to make a quick exit ldquoThere was trash strewn all around and a group of men were using drugsrdquo he recalls This has been the state of the park for more than three yearsWith the garbage gone skaters have the ramps for practiceWhen we met Kamble at the same park last Saturday the scene was starkly different Hopeful teenagers and young adults whirred past us on their skateboards pulling off cool skills The change in scenery came recently after a social media plea reached Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde who ordered a full cleanup of the park Hopeful to revive the scene in the neighbourhood a new movement is hitting the ground runningWhat makes the park specialIt is the most southwardly located skating spot in the cityWith the flyover above it is the only roofed skatepark in the city fit for monsoonsThe beginnerfriendly layout makes it an ideal training spot for novicesFuture plansAfter overwhelming response to the first meetup and the promise of a triweekly cleanup from the sanitation workers Harshad Kamble who runs the Masroon Skate community will host sessions every Saturday ldquoJust show up the community will guide yourdquo he assuresON Every Saturday time to be decidedAT Hindmata Skatepark Dadar EastLOG ON TO masroon_skateHarshad KambleGood to knowWhile the skatepark is open till 10 pm avoid late evenings to escape the incessant traffic noises while you skateTimeline flip2018 The skatepark is proposed as part of the BMCrsquos beautification plansApril 2023 The construction of the skating bowl is completedJune 2023 The first and last largescale event attracts more than 100 members20232026 The spot falls prey to sanitation drainage and security woesJune 2026 Resident Harsh Chaubeyrsquos viral post leads to Mayor Ritu Tawdersquos site visit Cleaning beginsSeptember 2026 The first meetup postrevival brings old and new skaters back to the parkSkaters SpeakHoping for the best Russell Lopez 41 senior skater Skateboarding in Mumbai SIMHaving lived in the area for more than 40 years Irsquove seen the skatepark go from a promising venue to being used as a parking lot a sleeping spot by the homeless and eventually a garbage dump Skaters slowly disappeared from the equation Irsquom happy about the revival But key issues like floodproofing and dustproofing remain Itrsquos great to have a part of the culture back but we can only hope that the BMC continues to support the idea when a more lucrative option pops upLetrsquos get equal Tulika Naag 23 skaterI was here when the skatepark opened I canrsquot put into words how it felt to see a perfectly fine skatepark turn into ruins With the park back Irsquom hoping to invite more women into the skateboarding cultureThatrsquos a first Khushi Shah 25 working professionalItrsquos not only my first time here but also my first day on a skateboard I always wanted to pick up the sport but skateparks in Bandra and Borivli were far away I hope I can come here every weekend and hone my skills