UAE: Indian expat girl from Kerala goes viral for skating in silk dhavani for Onam

Sharjah: An Indian expat girl in the UAE has become an internet sensation after her Onam festival special skateboarding video went viral, garnering 2.8 million views on her Instagram account and another 2.3 million on her father’s Facebook page.

The 10-year-old, Anwita Stalin, known on social media as Anwi Skater, is a Grade Five student at India International School, Sharjah. She showcased her skateboarding skills in a traditional silk dhavani or half-saree featuring a full skirt, blouse, and dupatta (a long shawl), with her long hair adorned with jasmine flowers, while performing flips and spins.

Capturing Onam mood

Onam is the annual harvest and cultural festival celebrated by Indian expats from Kerala. Though the 10-day festival concluded on September 5, Malayalis in the UAE continue the celebrations for months.

Anwita’s Onam-special video opens with flowers placed on her skateboard, scattering in dramatic slow motion as she leaps onto the board — perfectly timed with the viral festive song Onam Mood from the movie Sahasam, the lyrics of which feature “flying flowers.”

Anwita then skates goofy-footed, with her right foot forward, just like her favourite skater, Keegan Palmer, the two-time Olympic gold medalist from Australia. The slow-motion sequences highlight her hair, jasmine flowers, and silk dhavani flying as she performs flips and spins.

The combination of traditional attire and modern skateboarding moves has evoked the image of a female warrior charging through history, blending heritage and sport in a mesmerizing display.

Currently in Kerala with her mother, Shini Stalin, a pharmacist, for the district-level qualifying round for the 2025 National Championship, Anwita spoke to Gulf News over the phone on Saturday.

She said she skated just like how she skates regularly. “I didn’t feel any difference when I skated in dhavani, and I didn’t feel any fear of falling. I liked the video very much but didn’t expect it to go viral like this. Now, some people have started identifying me as the skating girl from the viral video. I am so happy about it.”

Anushka from Arundhati?

Her father, Stalin Meledath Mohanan, a supervisor at Drydocks World in Dubai, said: “We told her to do only the quick flip trick with flowers on the board, but she decided to get into the medium bowl at the Aljada Skate Park in Sharjah."

He said the parents were slightly scared if she might trip and fall. "But she did an excellent job. I edited the video in slow motion, and it came out very well. She is also learning dance, and this song is the latest one she learned to dance to. Also, because of the lyrics, we felt it was the perfect song for the Onam-special video.”

Stalin added that several people commented on her skills and some even likened her looks to that of popular Indian actress Anushka Shetty in the 2009 movie Arundhati.

From used board to top of ranking

Anwita started skateboarding on her own in August 2023 after her uncle in Dubai gave her a used skateboard. Seeing her enthusiasm, her parents later got her professional coaching for about eight months under three different coaches.

Despite her young age, she has already achieved remarkable success, including a 2024 National Silver Medal in India, a Gold and a Silver in the 2025 India Skate Ranking Championships, Silver medals in both Park and Street at the 2024 Kerala State Skateboarding Championship, and a Gold Medal at the UAE Pump Track Championship in Fujairah.

Anwita had hoped to try for the 2028 Olympics, but the qualifying age of 14 by 2028 means she will be one year young to compete. Hence, her immediate goal is to top the national finals in Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh this year and then grab the gold in the upcoming Asian Games at the same venue next year.

Her parents take turns driving her to competitions and training, maintaining weekly sessions of two to three hours, four days a week.

Anwita is thankful to her school also for being supportive: “My teachers and friends always appreciate me and encourage me, and I am given retest opportunities if I miss any exam due to any competition.”