The Underrated Skateboarder With a Heart of Gold, with Fuji X-T1
He is a soft spoken, young, twenty something guy sporting black framed glasses and pursuing graduation. Sounds common, but the one thing that sets him apart from the others is his passion for skateboarding. Anup Parida hails from Cuttack, Odhisha and has been residing in Kolkata with his parents since 2000. He loves dancing and performing stunts on his skateboard when not studying.
It all began when Anup decided to join the Calcutta Skateboarders as a trainee under the guidance of Aaron. Some time later when Aaron left the city, Anup decided to carry on the legacy of promoting the sport and started mentoring some underprivileged kids from an NGO who were eager to learn. He did not have the luxury of availing a proper space to practise so started taking classes inside an abandoned warehouse in South Kolkata. For those who could afford to pay, he charged them a meagre Rs 50/- (0.80 USD) and it was free for the rest. With time, he became quite popular among his students. Presently he has a group of 12-15 students coming from affluent families who pay him Rs 500/- (8.00 USD) for taking 4 classes in a month. The classes are held mostly on weekends from 10am till 12pm. Post social media fame, Anup and his passion have found DC shoes and Red bull as Corporate sponsors.
A young enthusiastic man who promotes his passion for skateboarding without a financial start-up has all my respect and when I finally got a chance to meet and interact with him, I obliged myself.
NB: I have used the Fujifilm X-T1 with the 16mm f1.4 to document Anup in-action with a set of smoke grenades to add the effects.
You can follow Anup Parida on his Instagram account:
https://www.instagram.com/anup_parida/
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“Greetings readers! I am Ritesh Ghosh and I describe myself as a visual storyteller. Simply put, I am a photographer who loves telling stories through his images. My journey as an artist began unknowingly many years ago when I owned a point-and-shoot camera, which I carried with me during family trips. I loved clicking family moments unaware of the vast areas of photography which were out there waiting to be explored. After completing my MBA and working for seven years with a private bank in India, I switched my job and had to leave India for an international assignment. My point-and-shoot also eventually got upgraded to the Fujifilm X100S. Currently, I am a full-time photographer, having quit my corporate career in pursuit of my passion. I own two camera bodies, the X-T1 and X-T3, with a set of six Fujinon lenses. Street is where my heart is while I also love documenting festivals while travelling in India and abroad. I believe that my journey in the second innings of life has just begun and I have a long way to go in the hope of discovering the photographer within me. “
