The Young Presidents Organisation’s (YPO) chapter from Los Angeles embarked on a transformative journey at Mukesh Mills on February 15th, 2024 in a convergence of global leadership and cinematic creativity. The event offered YPO members a glimpse into the vibrant tapestry of Bollywood. The team behind Skater Girl, Manjari Makijany, Vinati Makijany, and Emmanuel Pappas were invited by Madhu and Ravi Chatwani to speak on a panel and take the Young Presidents on the unique journey behind the making of Skater Girl. As the executives from Los Angeles immersed themselves in the rich cultural milieu ..read more

Distance truly makes the heart grow fonder, and the recent reunion with Anish Christopher (Kevin), a longstanding collaborator and the original skateboarding coach for our film 'SkateGirl,' was a testament to that adage. Kevin returned to the Desert Dolphin Skatepark for an exhilarating week filled with fun and excitement. As a coach who had known the kids in Khempur since they first cruised on a board, Kevin played a pivotal role as their first-ever skateboarding instructor. The unique and special bond he shares with the young skateboarders became immediately apparent upon his arrival. Despi ..read more

,Photo: (From Left to Right) ,Nicolas Widmer, Tess Harmand, Anahi Valentina, Manjari Makijany, Vinati Makijany. The Festival International des Sports Extrêmes (FISE) and Urban Sports Summit (USS) are Europe's largest freestyle sports events hosted every year in Montpellier, France. Director, Writer, and Producer Manjari Makijany along with Writer/Producer Vinati Makijany were invited as distinguished guests at USS 2023 to speak on Gender Innovation and share the profound impact their film, Skater Girl' had upon its successful release on Netflix. They took center stage at this event to share t ..read more

As a part of the Desert Dolphin Skatepark's Outreach Program, we collaborated with Mann Deshi Foundation and conducted a skateboarding workshop for kids at the Mhaswad, a small village in Maharashtra. Mann Deshi Foundation works with the people of Mhaswad, which is considered a sports village in the region. Under the foundation, the country has witnessed many state, national and even international champions come out from this village. Shraddha Gaikwad, a pro-skater from Pune, who recently won the gold medal at the National Games 2022 conducted the workshop. After the public screening of Skater ..read more

A passionate young traveler and finger boarding enthusiast from France, Hugo Pierre, joined the kids in Khempur at the Desert Dolphin Skatepark to share his passion for an unconventional form of skateboarding - Finger boarding. In collaboration with TechDeck, a well known fingerboard brand and a household name in Europe, Hugo donated more than 200 fingerboards along with official TechDeck merchandise. Desert Dolphin organized a finger boarding workshop with Hugo at the skatepark that drew the participation of around 30 kids from around the area. With his generous donation of fingerboards, eac ..read more

Diwali celebration at the skatepark with diyas, guests and golgappas. Ever since the skatepark was constructed, Diwali has brought great joy to everyone at the park and those living around. Our local kids make sure to visit the skatepark on this day and celebrate in their own simple yet special ways. However, this year was made a bit more special with the presence of Mumbai-resident Jayshree and her husband, Nikhil, who along with their daughters Piya and Shanaya decided to fly down from Mumbai and celebrate the festival at the skatepark with the kids. Jayshree and her kids had watched Skater ..read more

Mumbai-based skateboarder and longboarder, Antima Bisht visited the Desert Dolphin Skatepark to conduct a one-month-long girls skate workshop. During her month-long girls workshop she interacted with over hundred of girls and conducted one-on-one interactive sessions encouraging girls to skate. Desert Dolphin skatepark is based in a tiny village of Khempur, where gender inequality amongst many other things is still prevalent. Bringing girls to the skatepark has been a task since day one. They are often tied between household chores, working in fields and sometimes school. They have very little ..read more

CHANDIGARH: For the first time, four rural skateboarders from the Desert Dolphin Skate Club, Rajasthan participated in 58th National Roller Skate Championship 2020-21 organized by Roller Skating Federation of India (RSFI) in Mohali, Punjab on 10th April, 2021. Hailing from Khempur, a remote village in Rajasthan, 10-year-old Bhura Lal Bhil, 11-year-old Shaitan Banjara, 13-year-old Jogender Rajput and 14-year-old Pavan Bhil represented the club and the state at the national championship. Not only did they qualify in the trials, they skateboarded all the way to the final round. The competition h ..read more

As a part of the Desert Dolphin Skatepark's Outreach Program, Italy-based NGO, Dots & Loops conducted menstrual hygiene workshops with hundreds of girls and women in schools and villages in and around the skatepark. Jillian Crocker and Mirjam Breukers from Italy and Kanchan Singh from Delhi distributed more than 200 reusable and sustainable handmade menstrual hygiene kits. "Almost immediately we went for our first visit to the Dessert Dolphin Skatepark, which lay there in the middle of nature. It was much bigger than I imagined and it was beautifully made," says Mirjam Breukers. A first-of ..read more

The Skate Basti Foundation, Los Angeles along with The Living Grace Foundation, Mumbai launches the DESERT DOLPHIN SKATE GRANT. May 10th, 2023 marks DDSG's inaugural year. The grant will be awarded each year to individuals and skate groups to further develop and thrive in their skateboarding journey. The focus is to support young skateboarding talent in India who are dedicated to nurture their individual growth while positively influencing, inspiring and impacting those around them. Who can apply for the Grant? Individual skaters who want to advance to the next level by participating in champi ..read more