Bushindo Karate Classes

Bahujan Hitay run 22 karate classes across India, the classes encourage children of all ages, sexes and backgrounds to come together and overcome their differences. For an hour a week, the boys and girls who attend classes practice patience and self-discipline. They overcome gender and caster barriers to channel their energy and concentration into Karate.

For the karate teacher at Bahujan Hitay’s Pune club, karate is not about fighting “it’s about…self control, body discipline, mind control and breathing techniques. It involves yoga and meditation. It’s an art, not a sport. Humility, Patience, Self Control, Awareness and Self discipline should always be before Self-Defence.”

Originally the classes were started because they gave children from Dalit backgrounds a form of cultural expression which they had traditionally been deprived of. Throughout India’s modern history, Dalits have and continue to be excluded from society; they are banished from temples, excluded from community festivals and prevented from mixing with people of ‘caste’. The ancient martial art was successfully adopted by Bahujan Hitay to combat this problem; it has proved very effective in cultivating confidence and physical discipline amongst Dalits. Now, the classes are offered to people of all castes. People of all different backgrounds come together to breakdown stereotypes and channel their energy constructively.

“The ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants.”

Case Study: Savita

Savita was thirteen when she saw a karate demonstration. She was immediately hooked and persuaded the karate teacher to start a class in her local area. A number of children came to the class, including several girls.

Although she was teased and warned that she would fail in her studies, she was determined this would not happen and gradually her academic performance improved. Her teacher was kind but firm and, in addition to karate, taught meditation and ethics; he insisted his students stayed out of trouble and learnt patience and self-discipline. He encouraged them to think not only of transforming their bodies but also their character.

Now, as a karate teacher, Savita is helping young people to channel their energies positively and girls, in particular, to develop confidence and determination.

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