This niche form of martial arts movement will be introduced in Bengaluru for the first time.
Vinayak Shetty
For 33-year old Vinayak Shetty, karate is a way of life, rather than just something he practises. This Bengaluru lad recently made his way to Rishap, nestled in the Himalayas, to learn Kyokushin karate, a niche form of the martial art, which is still unheard of in India. Having returned to the city last week, Shetty plans to introduce it to Bengalureans, with specially designed sessions for adults and kids. “It’s a full contact form of karate, which I hope will be well received in Bengaluru,” begins Shetty.
A product of Vidya Niketan High School and Jain University later on, Vinayak moved to the US to finish his MBA. Having worked in the US and travelled around the world, before returning to India, karate was something he always carried with him wherever he went. “I started karate when I was in high school and it has stayed with me ever since. It’s a way to stay calm and in touch with yourself more than anything else,” says Shetty, an avid traveller, who has covered countries like Japan, China, Australia and the UK.
“My whole life is dedicated to karate, but if I had to pick an interest other than that, it would have to be travelling. I just love visiting new places. I’m also a biker and enjoy long rides. When I was in the US, I had the opportunity to hire a bike and take it for a spin along the Pacific highway. It’s a long stretch, with the pacific ocean on one side. It was just breathtaking,” he recalls, adding that he has covered pretty much all of South India on his bike. “There’s this place called Kolli hills in Salem that was quite an intense ride. It has 72 hairpin bends, which made it a nice challenge,” shares Shetty, an IT professional and businessman by education. Currently overseeing the smooth running of his father’s interior design firm in Koramangala, he conducts regular karate classes for people of all age groups and backgrounds during his spare time.
Talking about his experience training in the Himalayas, he recounts how their master, Shivaji Ganguli wanted to take them back to simpler times to achieve the best results. “Our master trained directly under the founder of Kyukushin, Masutatsu Oyama. So his methods are quite old school and stringent,” he says. He recalls how they’d wake up really early, go for a run and then practice ki-hon or the basics, followed by kata (pre-arranged forms of fighting) and kumite (fighting techniques). “It was in a great setting, the Kanchenjunga, which made it all the more enjoyable,” he tells us. Set to tie the knot in April this year, Shetty is next scheduled to travel to Thailand for another two-week workshop on Kyukushin karate.
Download the all new Deccan Chronicle app for Android and iOS to stay up-to-date with latest headlines and news stories in politics, entertainment, sports, technology, business and much more from India and around the world.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
Next Story
