KOCHI: When martial art forms like Karate, Kung Fu and Taekwondo were gaining popularity among Keralites, Rahul P S from Thodupuzha was working on being the first-ever ‘Kali’ performer. The Filipino Martial Art form, widely known as killing martial art, can defend an opponent in a short time.Rahul’s interest in Kali was born when he watched the Mohanlal-starrer Yodha. The stunts intrigued him and he wanted to learn it further. Then 19, Rahul sold his bike, packed his bags, and travelled to Nepal along with his Bengali friend who hails from the Nepal-India border. Unfortunately, the trip didn’t go as he planned and Rahul had to return home.
Upon returning, he learned Karate, Kung fu, and other martial art, until he came to know that the Kung fu he was practising is not the real deal. “I wanted to train in authentic Shaolin Kung Fu. It was nearly impossible for me to travel to China and train under a monk. After some research, in the year 2012, I met with renowned trainer Kanishka Sharma — India’s first Shaolin monk. He trains Indian commandos, defence officials, and few Bollywood actors including Shahrukh Khan and Akshay Kumar,” says Rahul, who is also a professional beautician and owner of the salon ‘Health and Beauty’ in Thodupuzha.
Under Kanishka, Rahul practised Shaolin Kung Fu for 60 days. “After the initial rigorous training, I continued learning under Kanishka’s assistant, Buddhpal Bauddh,” adds Rahul.It was there that Rahul came across ‘Kali.’ The agile Filipino martial art caught his attention. “Unlike the other martial arts, Kali teaches you to take hold of weapons before attempting hand-to-hand combat. To learn Kali, our bodies needn’t go through year-long flexibility training. The dangerous art form is taught mainly to the armed officials,” says RahulSeeing Rahul’s passion to learn Kali, his master agreed to teach him.
“People find happiness in many things. For me, it’s martial arts. It puts me in a state of bliss and strengthens my physical and emotional well-being. I have completed three levels in Kali. It’s been five years, and I still undergo training in Shaolin Kung Fu and Kali from Buddhpal,” says Rahul, who is also trained in Tai Chi and has a diploma in Yoga.
Kali for women
“Apart from armed forces, the weapon techniques are taught to women as well,” says Rahul. He believes it is of utmost importance for women to get training in Kali’s weapon and empty hand techniques that help convert everyday items like mobile phones, purses and keys into lethal weapons if one has to defend oneself.
This martial art aficionado, who is in the pursuit of learning more forms of martial arts aspires to travel to different parts of the world and learn more forms of martial arts. He is travelling to Thailand soon to get trained in Muay Thai.The 31-year-old also runs the Shaolin Tai Chi martial arts academy in Thodupuzha. “I teach Tai Chi, Shaolin Kung Fu, and Kali. Recently I got an opportunity to teach Kali to a few police officials in Thodupuzha. I’ll be training them soon,” he adds.Youtube: travelling with martial arts.