My karate carrier started way back in 1972 in Delhi under sensei Jacob in Ishinryu style. I got blue belt. Later when I was in Jamshedpur (Jharkhand) in 1975 I joined Goshin Ryu. In Goshin Ryu style too I did up to blue belt. In 1979, I attended a demonstration in Patna of Shotokan Karate given by Arvind Singh a student of sensei Anil Sinha. He invited me to come and practice whenever I could come from Jamshedpur, my place of work. In one of my visits to Patna to practice I met Sensei Anil Sinha. He was a well known personality in the field of karate in India. For several years he was the captain of the Indian team. After seeing my performance he invited me to come to Calcutta to practice. I started going to Calcutta to train directly under Sensei Anil Sinha once, sometimes twice, a month for 3-4 days and with his guidance I developed a lot. It was here in Calcutta that I met Sattrajit Chaudhury in the dojo. He was a sincere, rigorous trainer, tough built and a good fighter. Being technically good Sensei Anil Sinha gave him the opportunity to take classes. These were in Y.M.C.A. in S. N. Bannerji Road, Calcutta. At that time I was a purple belt holder and he was black belt. He was the captain of West Bengal karate team for seven consecutive years. I am happy to say that we are under Sensei Hitoshi Kasuya black belt 8th Dan who is the Chief Instructor of World Shotokan Karate Do Federation and several times world champion (Gold medalist) in Kata and Kumite. A renowned personality in the world of karate known by everyone. Till now we have branches in 91 countries. In 1984 I came to Orissa as head of Orissa state for Shotokan Karate. Sensei Anil Sinha used to come at frequent intervals to train me and my students and take their exams. Later due to his busy schedule he suggested me to Sattrajit Chaudhury for further help and for the progress of my karate. My students performed well and became champions several times in India. Later they won medals in World Shotokan Karate Do Federation championship held in Japan too. Later in 1990 I shifted to Bangalore. Here again I started taking classes as the head of Karnataka state. During this period few states joined our organisation. Till date I am still with Sensei Sattrajit Chaudhury under the organisation "The World Shotokan Karate Do Federation" formed by him in 1997. I too have won many medals in all my style at different levels and various events. Now my students of Karnataka are wining laurels for me and for our organisation. What does one understand by karate? Of course the basic meaning of karate is "the way of empty hand" as the word te means itself "hand, way, kind, type". Let me give you the deeper meaning Kara means empty and te, means hand, though in karate we use hands as well as legs but the Ashi (leg) word is not added to it. As empty word signifies emptiness and te is hand, therefore to bring something out of emptiness in your hand that is karate, Kara also signify the golden period of China so it's like to bring the golden period in yourself that is karate. For a student I would say one word sincerity. Be sincere towards the art and your master. This helps in better understanding and co- ordination between master and student. Each shining student is the pride of the instructor and in turn of the organization. Nothing more to pen otherwise it will become a book. Wish you the best for your Karate future. Oss...

- by Sensei Arvind Mehrotra.
Chief Instructor WSKFI, Karnataka
& Technical Committee Member, WSKFI, India.

The Background : We are more than 32 years down the memories of my life and my karate story starts here. Still in higher secondary school and a sportsman as I was with Soccer as my main sport but I also did badminton, cricket, athletics, swimming, table tennis etc. And my friend Dayal who was a good boxer used to workout with me for weight training and those were the days of Bruce Lee and Enter the Dragon and we used to look at some books and do some kicks and some punches, (more of kick boxing actually ). Then came my last year in secondary school when I was selected for 1st Div football team in Calcutta and disaster struck. I tore a cartilage in my left leg and I was forced to undergo an open surgery of my knee. I was grounded for three months. Time now to move to Goa after my Fathers retirement from Bata India Ltd in Calcutta. June 1979, I moved to Goa with my family and still no sport, ( I was asked to refrain from active sports for 3 months because of the operation to my knee). The Story Begins : Goa, the land of holidays, sun and sea, I join college and just 200 meters from my house was Goas only karate class. A hunger to get back to sports drew me to that class at Don Bosco School in Panjim, Goa where I started training with Sensei Kishen Gopani, Goas only Karate teacher at that time. Keen at sport I was a natural at karate, picking it up easily and being part of the demonstration team, doing flying kicks to break tiles ( Mae Tobi Geri ) was my speciality. Sensei Kishen Gopani was a good man and a good teacher but I was looking for something more explosive and my search led me to Sensei Martin Poetz, 2nd dan shotokan black belt from Germany who was really good. He used to live 6 months in Goa and go back to Germany for 6 months. Now the real training began and what I am as a karateka I can very much attribute to Sensei Martin. I trained with Sensei Martin for 4 years till my Brown Belt and then He told me that I was ready for the Black Belt and he did not have the authority to give me the black belt. Now came the time when I wanted to join JKA which was then in Goa but with another group who were my competitive Dojo and politics crept in and I was not allowed to join the JKA. This was 1985. Frustrated with everything I joined Mr S Srinivasan in Hyderabad who was the then representative for the World Karate Association USA and got my Shodan. Two years later I got my Ni Dan (2nd Dan) and in 1979 my San dan (3rd Dan). At that time I used to have around 125 students in my Dojo and every year I used to take my students for the WKA India nationals and we used to come back with lot of medals but my search for real Karate was not through. Srinivasan was not Shotokan and WKA did not have the standard that I was looking for. Still politics kept me from joining the AIKF faction in Goa. The Shotokan Story Begins : It was in 1992 that I was really at the end of the line with my search and I was invited to London by the SKI (Kanazawa Asano Group) and was awarded the Ni Dan in Shotokan karate by SKIEF London under Sensei Shiro Asano. Now I am happy , Im back to Shotokan Karate. In 1993 I was introduced to Sensei Pemba Tamang of the JKA and he invited me to join the JKA which is the first time I met up with Sensei Sattrajit Chaudhury. Being in that organization for 5 years during which my karate skills sharpened having trained with the likes of Sensei Mikio Yahara, and several other JKA instructors, but my dream of joining the AIKF was yet to be fulfilled. Turmoil and politics in the then JKA group of Sensei Tamang in India led to Sensei Sattrajit Chaudhury setting up a date with Sensei Hitoshi Kasuya and I joined up with WSKF, India, and along with that came the recognition by the AIKF and finally in 1998 I got my San Dan with the AIKF and the WSKF and here I am today with one of the best karate organizations in India and with a leader like Sensei Sattrajit who is a Serious karateka and a great friend in my long journey in Karate is history as they say. Today my aim is to keep training and keep spreading the sport of Karate in Goa and India and a message to all Karatekas is , Never Give Up, Train Hard , and the rewards will come in its own time. It is important to understand that an art like Karate needs to mature in you to get the best of it. We have to remember that this is a journey and we need to stay on the right path to get the best out of it.
My Best Wishes to Sensei Sattrajit and the WSKF India on this 10th Anniversary.

- by Sensei Joseph Rodrigues
Chief Instructor WSKFI, Goa
& Technical Committee Member, WSKFI, India.

I started learning karate in early seventies and also practiced kick boxing for some time. I was attached with a Hyderabad based karate organisation for a long time before joining WSKF India under the guidance of Sensei Sattrajit Chaudhury in 1999. The training under Sensei Chaudhury was an eye opener for me. The scientific approach of Sensei Chaudhury forced me to look into my karate from a new view point. Before that I had earned a good name in different competition in India and abroad, but I was somehow unsatisfied from inside. The pure Shotokan method as taught by Sensei Chaudhury filled the void in me. The year 2000 was a big year for me when I got the chance to train under the guidance of legendary Sensei Hitoshi Kasuya, Chief Instructor of WSKF. The three day training seminar held in Goa, was a real moral booster for me. I got the taste of a real master's teaching which motivated me to take up my karate to a new level. Though I know that I have crossed forty years and I have suffered injury in my knees, still I was determined to force myself to a better level. During these last ten years I also had several interactions with other senior instructors of WSKF India and some of them were really brilliant technically, each having their own specialty. I got the opportunity to attend AIKF events also as WSKFI is a member of AIKF and interactions with head of styles of different Karate Organisation of AIKF gave me many brilliant ideas. I had interactions with other Shotokan, Goju Ryu, Wado Ryu and Shito Ryu instructors which really widened my base of karate. In the meantime I got the opportunity to serve MKA (Maharashtra Karate Association) as representative of WSKF India Maharashtra branch and latter on I was offered the position of vice president ship of MKA which I accepted and I have been trying to contribute in my small way towards the development of MKA as well as WSKF India Maharashtra. One last time I would like to mention that in WSKF India we all are like a family. There is a very cordial relationship among all instructors with no trace of petty politics. In dojo, during practice we are very serious and always follow senior junior relationship code but after the training we all are like close friends. I think these are the specialties of our federation and I am proud to be a member of this organisation.

- by Sensei Atul Bora
Chief Instructor WSKFI, Maharashtra
& Technical Committee Member, WSKFI, India

'Karate' which means "empty hands" is a system of combat and self-defence that helps one to resist an opponent without the help of weapons no matter how strong he is. Karate centers promoting love and respect among the students gives no heed to the differences born of caste, creed, social status, etc. Karate, once viewed with doubt and suspicion has regained its due respect everywhere. The increase in the number of students practicing Karate attests to its popularity. It won't be exaggerating if I tell you that modern world has recognized the potential of Karate in making a person matured both physically and mentally. Mode of Examination / Test : Exams or tests in Karate are held on a regular basis in accordance with the practice of the students. Tests are conducted in different phases. The first phase is to examine how far the student has achieved the basic components of Karate on theoretical and applicative level. The vital part of the test is the second phase called 'Kata'. Diligent training and correct mindfulness lead to real understanding of combat principles. The various moves have multiple interpretations and applications. Some of the criteria for judging the quality of a performance are : absence of missteps, correct beginning and especially ending, crispness and smoothness, correct speed and power, confidence and knowledge of application. Kata is an imaginary combat against more than one opponent by synchronizing various blocks, kicks and punches with utmost care, speed and grace. Vigorous practice of Kata gives the student a fairly keen sense of self-awareness and boosts up his confidence to surmount any crisis offered to him in his life. The last phase of test is Kumite which is the part of karate in which you train against an adversary, using the techniques learnt from the kihon (basics) and kata. Since the word "Kumite" refers to forms of sparring, it covers a vast range of activities. Karate and other forms of martial arts have various other types of kumite (e.g. 3 steps, 1 steps, semi free, etc.) which span this large range in styles of practices. Type of Kumite : H Ippon kumite - One step sparring, typically used for self defence drills. H Sanbon Kumite - Three step sparring, typically used to develop speed, strength, and technique. H Kiso Kumite - Structured sparring drawn from a kata H Jiyu Kumite - Free sparring As a branch of World Shotokan Karate Do Federation, India, WSKFI-Kerala was launched in 2000 with the blessings of Sensei Sattrajit Chaudhury. In the initial stage, Karate classes were limited to three districts. Later on many other districts were added as well. The camps, seminars, instructor camps, etc. conducted under the leadership of Sensei Sattrajit Choudhury every year have helped Karate students and Black Belt instructors. Students of WSKF - India including those of WSKFI - Kerala are rewarded with practice session having international standard as a part of International camps and Tournaments conducted under the leadership of WSKF Chief Instructors Sensei Hitoshi Kasuya and Sensei Sattrajit Chaudhury.

- by Sensei P. Johnson
Chief Instructor
WSKFI, Kerala

Master Funakoshi's pen name Shoto, literally means "pine waves", and today is synonymous with the tiger symbol and Shotokan Karate-do. But few people understand the relationship of Shoto to what is commonly known as the Shotokan Tiger. When Master Funakoshi was a young man, he enjoyed walking in solitude among the pine trees which surrounded his home of Shuri. After a hard day of teaching in the local school and several more hours of strenuous karate practice, he would often walk up Mount.Torao and meditate among the pine trees under the stars and bright moon. Mount.Torao is a very narrow, heavily wooded mountain which, when viewed from a distance, resembles a tiger's tail. The name Torao, in fact, literally means "tiger's tail". In later life, Master Funakoshi explained that the cool breezes which blew among the pines on Mount.Torao made the trees whisper like waves breaking on the shore. Thus, since he gained his greatest poetic inspirations while walking among the gently blowing pine trees, he chose the pen name of Shoto, "pine waves". The tiger which is commonly used as the symbol for Shotokan karate is a traditional Chinese design which implies that "the tiger never sleeps". Symbolized in the Shotokan tiger, therefore are the keen alertness of the wakeful tiger and the serenity of the peaceful mind which Master Funakoshi experienced while listening to the pine waves on Tiger's Tail Mountain. That symbol with the tiger inside the circle is the Tora no Maki, or the Tiger Roll. This drawing was originally created by a Japanese man named Hoan Kusugi who was a friend and student of Funakoshi Gichin, the founder of Shotokan Ryu Karate. He was reportedly instrumental in convincing Funakoshi to teach karate in Japan. He also was the man who first convinced Funakoshi to write his knowledge of karate into a book, and promised him that he would design the book and make a painting for the cover. He drew it specifically in order to illustrate the cover of Funakoshi's book Karate-do Kyohan. Kusugi is thought to be as important as Kano in convincing Funakoshi to stay in Japan to teach karate. The character up in the Northeast quadrant of the circle is part of the artist's signature. Kusugi is reported to have declared to Funakoshi that Karate-do Kyohan was the master text of karate. In Japanese, the master text for a particular topic is called the Tora no Maki. The Japanese did not produce books like we do in the West traditionally. Instead, they wrote their documents as long scrolls, rolled them up, and stored them in cubby holes just as our ancestors did hundreds of years ago. The Japanese had largely abandoned this practice by the time Funakoshi authored his book, but the expression had become hard-wired into the Japanese language. This Tora no Maki, or the Shotokan Tiger, as it is commonly called, has become the symbol of Shotokan Karate. Today, one can find patches, belts, shirts, belt buckles, pendants, rings, and all sorts of goodies that have been made using the image of the Tora no Maki. Some people are not even aware that it refers to Shotokan specifically, and they have co-opted it into logos for clubs offering other martial arts.

- by Sensei M. Solomon
Chief Instructor WSKFI, Tamilnadu
& Technical Committee Member, WSKFI, India

"Congratulations on taking part in the 10th national karate championship." Dear all, we practice hard to make our body strong in order to fight against any thing but you must have seen even a cat or dog will fight back if they see any danger to their puppies and this is because they are scared and humans are also same i.e. when they are scared they will attack so we should not try to bully any body who is weak because we become strong through our karate training and have confidence in ourselves and know that we can easily walk away from fights. This is most important point in karate we must always do our best to avoid fight unless it is for justice or self defence. You must also study hard at school and listen to what your teacher tells you. Only having strong body is no good you must also have a sharper brain. When you are at home, you should always do your best to help your parents always listen to what they say and do what they tell you. Remember : You can never perfect any thing you can only work towards perfection. Every time you practice you improve, Every time you make mistake you learn, this is beauty of karate. Follow this few things and you will be able to achieve any thing in your life. "God bless you" Arigato Gozimass. Thank you...!

- by Sensei Sachin Pawar
Instructor
W.S.K.F.I., Nashik

I take this opportunity to extend a very warm welcome to all Karatekas to an another memorable event. The 10th WSKFI National Karate Championship. In today, age and time any sport is no longer restricted to the physical development but contributes immensely to the overall development. The personality and character of the person. Karate do is a challenging sport having various facets. The training of Karate is not merely mastering the lighting techniques. A karateka during his or her training requires a combination of knowledge, dexterity and discipline and most important requires a good harmony of mind and body to master this sport. Thus making every karateka a better human being ready to take up any challenge in life. I hope that all the karate kas participating in this tournament, along with their trained skills, also portray the true spirit of Karate Do. On behalf of the organizers I wish all the best to all the participants and the officials the very best for championship. OSS...

- by Sensei Pradeep Avinash Nikam
Instructor
W.S.K.F.I, Nashik

On the auspicious occasion of the 10th National Camp and Championship of the "The World Shotokan Karate-Do Federation, India". I welcome all my karateka friends. Our country has had many great karate sensei and masters. But our sensei Mr. Sattrajit Chaudhury who has bagged the title of 'Best Instructor' is well known for his practice, for his excellence and for his vision towards life which is very different from others and is of a very high caliber. I am proud to be Sensei Chaudhury's student. All of us as karatekas practice karate to train our body and mind like a warrior and are constantly striving hard to improve ourselves. But most of the times me fail to use this power of karate in an appropriate manner. We all learn karate for the basic aim of 'Self Defense'. We are familiar with karate techniques and are always thinking about how to block and attack if somebody comes to hit us. My view is that, it is not everyday that we will engage ourselves in a fight with someone. What we actually need to do is become 'alert'. The physical fitness and power as well as the mental control we gain through karate practice can be put to use in today's world. We only need to apply the basic principles of karate properly in our daily life. As far as 'Self defense' is concerned let us consider the example of driving a motorcycle. While driving we need to be as alert as we are during 'Kumite'. According to me, preventing onself from falling into bad habits like drugs, is also self defense in one way. Most of the karatekas practice karate with maximum enthusiasm but with least alertness and ultimately they land up in some accidents, mishaps or injuries. We should never forget that we are learning karate for self defense and not for causing harm to our own body. Karate as an art is complete in itself. The energy or power coming from karate practice should be controlled in a similar way as we control our kicks and punches in non contact sports karate. I give my best wishes to all my karateka friends... Thank You... Oss...

- by Sensei Narayan Salunke
Instructor
WSKFI, Nashik

In pursuing the long and tortuous path of Shotokan Karate-do, we often experience the value of dedicated practice, the importance of sacrifice and the traits of single minded determination imperturbed by life’s odds, even as we fight our way through performing numerous mae-geri or practicing Bassai-dai kata countless number of times. Shotokan Karate-do is a method of self improvement where the budo-ka pursues excellence and perfection in all his endeavours. The technical interpretations and 'Bunkai' , 'Oyo' makes us ready for today's high profile Corporate life, where performance, leadership, vision , alertness and adaptability are the buzzwords. author with Sensei Anil Sinha, JKA India Chairman Shotokan Karate-do, like most of the Martial Arts systems, improves the internal 'soft & life skills' , which are corporate pre-requisites, apart from the external physique and technique:

• mental health.
• social skills, team dynamics.
• Confidence and leadership.
• Awareness, and reflex.
• Relationships, networking.
• ability to concentrate and solve problems.
• ability to learn, adapt and motivate
• ability to listen, apply, think quickly
• Ability to pursue ambitious career possibilities. .

In effect Shotokan karate-do enriches and refreshes the mind. We should gain a wider perspective of life. As our health improves we should find that we have augmented energy to do more with our time and resources. As our mind gets richer and brighter we should discover that many more things in life are interesting beyond our normal senses. It's not unusual for people who have been studying Karate-do for a while to start reading books again or take up a musical instrument or start studying other things. This is the therapeutic effect of serious dedicated study of Shotokan karate-do.The mentoring process in Shotokan Karate-do means that they have the help to overcome that blockage, whether it’s in their character, health, energy levels or just plain lack of learning, understanding, attitude and practice! That’s where teachers , rather missionaries, of the likes of Sensei Nakayama, Nishiyama, Kanazawa, Okazaki , Enoeda, Asai, Tanaka, Shoji, Yahara, Osaka, Ueki, Abe, Kasuya et all matter to such a great extent. My biggest fortune in life is to live the golden moments of training under the watchful eyes of many of these ‘weaponless warriors’, the indefatigable Samurais from the formidable JKA . I have experienced in my corporate role as an Audit , Systems & Risk Management professional, how this positive attitude pays off rich dividends across boardrooms around the world.

If we stem the flow through ignorance, emotion, cowardice and all the other negative emotions that we are capable of - then our purpose in life remains hidden. When we broaden our outlook and seek wisdom through experience we allow it to flow. The narrower our vision – the more restricted we are. The broader – the more creative and wise we become. This trait can be developed by training under various Masters around the world, to seek what each has to teach. Its even better if we are able to learn , at our own pace, multiple styles and systems. These augment and ameliorate our own views on corporate life where we face the greatest 'Kumite'.

When we engage in Shotokan karate-do training, like in all martial arts, we engage in a concentrated form of life. The Dojo is the microcosm with life as the macrocosm. These teachings at the dojo, 'Shoto's 20 admonitions' , the Dojo-Kun and all others prepare and temper us well for a successful corporate career. Kumite applications Karate-do kumite principles are used in actual boardroom politics and strategies. The concept of 'sen no sen' , 'go no sen' , ie seizing initiative earlier or later, as the case may be is used with equal efficacy in corporate strategic management, whether to launch a new product / service or to hire a key managerial person or to decide on a capex proposal. Similarly, understanding and practice of ‘tai sabaki’ ( body shifting) , henka-waza ( changing techniques) are of actual practical use in corporate ‘kumite’ . The principles of fencing , specially immortalized by the Late Master Miyamoto Musashi , encapsuled in the book- Gorin No sho , was our textbook in Harvard to learn about business strategies, disengagement techniques and response management. It is Japan’s gift to the Western corporate world. Kata applications – the 'oyo' While Heian kata teaches us the sublimity of peaceful find and sochin teaches us the state of 'fudo-shi', bassai shows us when to exert and 'penetrate the fortres'. Sometimes , we need to become aggressive and demonstrate the power of ten men (Jitte), again we sport a lighter attitude and ‘fly like a swallow' over tangible and intangible hurdles (Empi). Time and again , we stand like a crane on a rock, ready to pounce on official issues , problems and impasse ( Gankaku), we respond to corporate office politics, provocations from ’24 directions’ ( Niju-shiho), at one moment we are vigorously riding an ‘iron horse’ (tekki) and surging ahead in our corporate endeavours, at another triumphant moment, we look up for viewing the sky above us ( kanku), reflecting on our efforts and direction in career and life. We try and respond to our ever-increasing commitments by employing a variety of ‘high and low positions’ and hope to react timely to the incessant changes in life - ‘’cloud formations in the sky’’ ( Unsu). Shotokan Karate-do training thus sets us on a path of self discovery as we continuously go on purging and 'polishing the mirror' (meikyo) to experience more clarity in all we do in our role as a 'Corporate Samurai'.

Development is like watching the hands of a clock, we don't see the changes – others do - and when we do realise how much we've changed and improved, we are miles ahead in the corporate battles. Shotokan Karate-do study is like swimming upstream… if we stop swimming , we just go backwards. It's an unending quest of continuously 'keeping the water hot'. About the author : Arijit Chakraborty,Yon-dan, is 36 years old and has more than 31 years training in Shotokan Karate-do under Masters from JKA, JKS, WSKF, ISKF, SKIF and KWF both in India and abroad, he holds FCA, MBA, CIA ,DISA qualifications specializing in Internal Audit, Assurance and Risk Management, having worked at senior levels with BDO, KPMG and Deloitte, managing and leading numerous hi-profile consulting engagements.

- By Arijit Chakraborty
Yon-dan
Nashik