CHENNAI: To awaken people to their surroundings and help the victimised section of society fight back, Dhaktsyal, a three-day martial arts campaign, will be launched by students of the Department of Journalism at Madras Christian College (MCC) on September 22.
Dhyaktsyak in Tibetan means ‘skill in violence’ and the famous Koran martial arts figure Hwang Kee said, “Where there is preparation, there is no fear”. Through inter-college competitions, self-defence workshops for women and a marathon, the college hopes to make students understand the importance of martial arts and how they will help in their safety. Women in particular, they hope, will be able to use this for fighting against sexual assault that takes place not just in public but within the walls of their homes. “We thought this could be a solution to some of the social issues today. We want to encourage people to see martial arts as self-defence and not violence. We want to promote some of the old art forms like Kalari through exhibitions and demonstrations,” said Muvija Murugaiyan, a student of the department.
The campaign will start with a marathon on September 22 with film actor Shabeer, following which there will be guest lectures by Master J Keshav, president of India Thai Boxing (ITB), actor Lakshmi Ramakrishnan and Master A K Abbas, chief instructor of Tae Bo Kung Fu martial arts. The next two days will include a special workshop for women students on self-defence, which will be conducted by Master Sreeram, chief instructor, Krav Maga Tamil Nadu Chapter, and a lecture by Master Saravana, instructor of boxing in the Southern Railway Institute (SRI), and Satish, a student of SRI and current national martial arts champion. The campaign will include special martial arts performances like Silambattam and kickboxing. MCC has in the past conducted campaigns on other socially relevant subjects like organ donation and handicraft promotion. This year they hope to make a mark in women’s safety.