Usha Kumari at her residence in Kadma. Picture by Srinivas

Usha Kumari can cure people’s illness but rub her up the wrong way and she could put you in hospital.

The 27-year-old homoeopathic doctor, who has been practising karate for seven years, has earned the rare distinction of an international karate coach.

She is the third person in the country and the second in the state to get the certification.

A karate player of national repute, Usha Kumari won the honour after she successfully finished the referee training under the aegis of the All India Perak Okinawa Goju-Ryu Karate Do Federation in Chennai earlier this year. A letter and certificate granting her the status of an international coach reached her recently.

After having performed in Malaysia and Sri Lanka last year, she would shortly leave for Chhattisgarh to officiate at an international tournament.

“It is a great honour to become an international referee. All these days I was just a player, now there would be a lot more association with the technical part of the sport,” said Usha Kumari, who is a black belt first dan and has been training under her mentor L. Nageshwar Rao for seven years.

Her interest in martial arts began after she developed a fascination for the sport, primarily due to the interest and enthusiasm shown by her mother.

Usha Kumari’s mother, V. Lakshmi, was a national team manager for volleyball and handball. She quit the profession to take care of her husband, a retired Tisco employee, two daughters and son. But Lakshmi managed to make her children sportspersons.

While the karateka’s elder sister is aspiring to join the national volleyball team, Usha Kumari’s elder brother is an athlete par excellence employed with the Jharkhand police.

Usha Kumari was a student of Kadma Girls High School and Jamshedpur Women’s College. Her other interest, apart from karate, was medicine. When she was unable to join an allopathic stream, she opted for homoeopathy. She is now pursuing her one-year internship at Singhbhum Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital. “I want to excel in both my chosen disciplines,” said Usha Kumari, beaming with excitement as she proudly showed off her shelf stacked with medals.

A perfectionist to the core, the doctor is greeted by a packed schedule everyday. She practises karate early morning and then goes to her clinic.