CHENNAI: More than 2,000 wheels passing over him couldn’t inflict a single scratch on his body. Amid many hearts racing and thumping 23-year-old Karate master Pradeep Babu took upon the challenge of letting 1,222 two-wheelers ride over his chest at YMCA, Nandanam, on April 24. In just 37 minutes and 16 seconds, he was accorded Noble World Record by a Lucknow-based independent non-governmental organisation.
“I am confident of training some of my 200 students to break my record in the future,” asserts Pradeep, whose unflinching attitude and years of training under master Hanshi Geribala helped him achieve the feat. The event – The Master – organised by the All India Zen Isshinryu Karate Association was an attempt to bring out the best in everyone. The chief guest, an 83-year-old student of Geribala, was also an inspiration for cohorts. For, he broke barriers and took to martial arts alongside youngsters in his 70s, explains Pradeep, a fifth Dan (Designee) black-belt holder practising Karate for eight years.
“In 2009, my master set a record by letting 1,001 bikes ride over him in 43.01 minutes. Then, he vowed to train his students to break the same record. At 14 years, I practised with 300 bikes and increased the numbers over the years with improved physical and mental training. Even during the trials, I had tried a maximum of 1,000 bikes. This record is very special and motivating to train more students,” he adds.
Admitting that the pandemic delayed his event by a year, the civil service aspirant says nothing could stop him from realising his dream and that of his master’s. “It is definitely not an easy record to break or attempt. None dared to try it after my master in 2009. During the attempt, we place a wooden plank over the chest to ensure the vehicle’s smooth movement. This, however, does not reduce the vehicle’s impact in any way.”
Though the event was attended by only a few people, it was live-streamed for Geribala’s parents residing in a nondescript village in Villupuram district. “‘Geri’ means kick in Japanese language. My master became famous for inventing new kicks which require less energy and are more powerful. So far, he has come up with at least six of them. Thus, he got ‘Geri’ to his name,” Pradeep notes. Another notable record made during the event was by one of Pradeep’s students. He kicked 1,000 times in the air in 600 seconds.