He is all of 12, stands 3'6'' tall and weighs a mere 30kg but one look at his punches and chops and you know better than to mess with this karate kid.
Meet L. Dhruv, a sixth grader from DBMS English School, Jamshedpur, who has become the first karateka to get a black belt, first Dan (rank), in his age group in Jharkhand.
Dhruv received the honour from none other than Hanshi Katyusyki Fukatoshi, an acclaimed grandmaster and founder chairman of All Japan Karate Do Goju Ryu Kai, during the national karate camp held at Ganpatrai Indoor Stadium in Ranchi on November 8-9. The boy appeared for his black belt grading during the camp conducted by Hanshi Katsuyuki Fukatoshi, 10th Dan, and his son Shihan Katsuyuki Fukatoshi, eighth Dan.
"I feel proud to get the black belt from such stalwarts. It will only motivate me to work harder," Dhruv, who stays in Ranikudar, Kadma, and happens to be the son of Jamshedpur's acclaimed karate Shihan - master instructor in Japanese - L. Nageshwar Rao.
It's easy to see from where Dhruv, who otherwise is a normal kid glued to cartoon shows and computer games, gets his passion for karate. "Dad is black belt seventh Dan, I have miles to go. He's my inspiration," beamed Dhruv, a Cancerian, when asked about having a Shihan right at home.
Rao, a popular figure among the city's budding karatekas for years and the general secretary of Jharkhand State Karate Do Association (JSKA), laughed, saying right now the father-son duo had "mutual admiration society going".
"It was a proud moment for me and my wife Pratima when our son received his black belt," Rao said. "Hanshi Katsuyuki Fukatoshi was very impressed with my son. He asked me to bring Dhruv to Japan for advanced training under him."
Homemaker Pratima added Dhruv, like his father, was a natural at karate.
"Since childhood, Dhruv has been into karate," said his doting mother. "He started training under his father in 2009 and bagged his first gold medal at the Asian Goju Ryu Karate Championship held in Jamshedpur in 2012. He's also won gold medals in state and district championships. This year, he topped the city inter-school karate event."
Dhruv's talent also earned him the admiration of older karatekas, like Ranchi-based Sensei Sanjeev Kumar, a black belt third Dan who was part of the national camp. "Dhruv is a very good karateka for his age," Kumar said.
Kumar added that the Ranchi camp was important as rules and techniques formulated by All Japan Karate Do Goju Ryu Kai are recognised by World Karate Federation. "All national karate outfits across the world, including All India Karate Do Federation, follow the rules and techniques of this Japanese body," he said.
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