Gurus in the Ganges

Skateboarder Magazine – Gurus in the Ganges (Full Length) from Patrik Wallner on Vimeo.

I’ve seen a lot of skateboarding footage.  I’ve even shot a bit of it myself.  Is there a more ideal locale for skateboarding than the teeming Kumbh Mela festival in North India which hosts what was estimated to be the world’s largest religious gathering ever recorded?  What an experience this would be!

The answer is yes, probably any back alley or random village street would be more productive and doable than this joyous, ancient gathering. At the Kumbh Mela, Gurus and millions of other assorted Hindu devotees make their sanctified bathing pilgrimage to wash away their accrued sins at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna Rivers in a ceremony that takes place every dozen years in the city of Allahabad.

In early February 2013, Sean Malto, Sebo Walker, Mark Suicu and Nestor Judkins traveled to legendary India. Their plan was to traverse the breadth of the Subcontinent’s core with their ultimate goal to reach the Kumbh Mela gathering. The four sought to try and demonstrate that even in the most densely populated, chaotic places in the developing world, one can indeed push forward and manage to skateboard despite the visceral challenges such conditions present.

Directed, Filmed & Edited by Patrik Wallner

Hosted by the Skateboarding Magazine
www.skateboardermag.com/

Illustrations by Jesper Lindgren

Music Consultancy by Benoit Florencon

Location Assistance by Poornabodh Nadavatti (Allahabad)
& Moritz Meyer (New Delhi)

www.visualtraveling.com