KOCHI: “Sir, you are trained in the Aikido principles. So can you show few moves peculiar to the martial art?” asked second -year BA English literature student Varsha Venugopal when Rahul Gandhi visited St Teresa’s College on Monday. Varsha has been planning to pose the question ever since she came to know that Rahul was going to visit the college.
A second-degree black belt in karate, Varsha read about Rahul taking up Aikido classes in an article about the martial art form. “My question came in last and the time set aside for the interaction session was nearly over,” she said. “However, Rahul was all ears and got ready to demonstrate the basic principle on which the martial art was based,” she added.
“He said this was a principle which the Congress party adopted,” said Varsha, who won a bronze in the National Karate Championship last year. “Rahul, made me sit on my knees on stage and asked me to brace myself. He then asked one of my friends to push me from the front. He then asked another four to stand behind her and push with full force. But I didn’t budge.”
He then said the Aikido martial art principle involves blending with an attacker’s movements to control their actions with minimal effort, said Varsha who is the St Teresa’s College union vice-chairperson.
She said, “When he came to know that I had a black belt in karate, he asked me to show some moves. Afterwards, he demonstrated Aikido move.”
“Rahul told us that we can use the Aikido principle in our lives to overcome tough situations,” she said.
Varsha has her fingers dipped in many pies. “I am an NSS volunteer and also give coaching in karate,” said Varsha who wants to pursue a career in physical education. “I am the youngest of the two children in my family,” she said.
“When I told my parents that I wanted to do BPEd course after Plus-Two, they went into the protective mode. They wanted me to do a regular course. So, we came to an understanding. I was to do BA Literature and then take up the BPEd followed by MPEd,” said Varsha who has karate students in nearly all the apartments in the city.
She pointed out that even though karate has been identified as a sporting event in the Olympics and also nationally, it is yet to find a place on the roster of events in the universities in the state.