Akshay Kumar wants karate made compulsory in schools

Passion can do strange things, really. It can make Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia shell out his hard-earned riches to sponsor a sport he adores, respects and values. It can also convince him to invest enough time and energy in nurturing a vision not many know of. And yes, passion can even persuade the 43-year-old to proclaim, “I want to make karate our national sport. That’s my ultimate dream”.

The above-mentioned endeavour could take as much time as it took Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia to become Akshay Kumar. But the Bollywood icon’s never-say-never mindset convinces you that he is capable of achieving what he announces.

Recently there were reports about a nine-year-old girl and her mother who aspire to go the distance. The mom is all the more determined to see her child excel as her dreams of attending a karate class were simply quashed by elders in a conservative Punjabi household.

Kumar is doing his bit by promoting at least 4,500 such kids and their dreams. The Akshay Kumar National Karate-Do Championships, the second edition of which concluded recently, is a massive karate movement. What started as a small initiative by Kumar and Mehul Vora (both sixth degree black belt holders) of the Nippon Budo Sogo International India, has now become the biggest tournament ever in the history of Indian karate.

“I want everybody to understand that karate is an art and not just a combat sport,” Kumar says, before adding, “I would love to make karate compulsory in schools. Everyone — especially women — deserve to be taught self-defence in this country. You’ll be surprised to know that young girls at my tournament manage throw around guys twice their height and weight and lock them to the ground. Women are powerful beings and I want them all to be protected in life.”


Kumar, who is a “student” of martial arts since his teens, says he became addicted and insanely determined to become like Bruce Lee. “I originally wanted to do martial arts so that I could show off in front of all girls! But soon, I became so disciplined that all I did was breathe, eat, study and train karate,” he says.

Kumar even credits his calm exterior to karate. “Martial arts is what keeps me fit, agile, disciplined and punctual. It helps you control anger, negativity and enables you to focus during extremely stressful situations. Karate is more than just kicking and punching, it is an art,” Kumar adds.

For someone, who diligently trains for at least two hours every day, Kumar is unsurprisingly fit. The actor, who also trained during his days as a chef in Bangkok, says martial arts are worshipped in the Far East.

“My aim is to change the perception (of martial arts) in India. We have such talented individuals. We just need to find them and nurture them. Some of the most incredible forms of martial arts trace their origins to India. They are practically secrets to the rest of the world. I want the world to see what India has to offer. We have techniques that even the Chinese don’t have, let’s be proud of our traditions and embrace what we are,” Kumar says.

The actor, however, makes it crystal clear that martial arts mustn’t be misconstrued as violence. “I hate violence. I adore my sport, but if it’s used in the wrong way, you might as well be a murderer. There’s a huge difference between a man who ‘can kill’ and ‘will kill’. Art it is not an excuse to go around thrashing people,” he says matter of factly.

Kumar is planning to host a few athletes next year. “I want to take my tournament to the next level. Bringing foreign talent will only help us improve,” he says. Kumar, though, does not want to make martial arts a “source of entertainment on Friday nights”.

“Who wins? Who falls? No that’s not what this is about. I just want to give everyone the opportunity to learn one of the greatest forms of physical disciplines in the world. Cinema is different, training is different. I feel we should leave the attraction of martial arts to cinema and reveal the magic of martial arts to the competition floor,” he says.
Best of luck is all we can say.