Page 66 - EW August 2021

Young Achievers

Dragons Karate Academy under the priya, and great granddaughter of
tutelage of Shihan (master instruc- revolutionary poets the Late Padma
tor) Altaf Saiyed, a certified coach and Bhushan Maithilisharan Gupt (1886-
technical director of Shobukai India. 1964), and sibling Santkavi Shri
Since then, this star striker with Siyaramsharan Gupt (1895-1963),
lightning-fast reflexes has been on Abhijita started writing poetry at age
a roll. In 2016 at age seven, he won five. “When she turned three, Abhi-
a bronze at the National Martial Art jita could read complete sentences.
Games, Mumbai. Two years later, he Impressed by her progress, I bought
won his first gold in the Under-14 her a collection of read-it-yourself
category of the district-level Shito Ryu books and by age five, she had com-
Karate championship. In 2019, when pleted four levels and even managed
he turned ten, the Black Dragons to build impressive vocabulary. On
Karate Academy awarded him a Black Mother’s Day the following year, she
Belt. The same year, he won gold and surprised me by writing her first full
silver in the Under-14 category of poem dedicated to me. It was then
the 10th Independence National and that we recognised the poet in her,”
International Karate Championships says Anupriya, mother of this gifted
held in Vadodara. child author.
“Kairav’s dedication and hard work Abhijita’s maternal grandfather
are exemplary. He is the young- and several members of the extended
KAIRAV SANGHVI est Black Belt of our academy. His family are medical practitioners.
achievements and conduct will take Inspired by their conversations
him a long way,” says Shihan Saiyed. surrounding Covid and medical
airav Sanghvi (12), a class Over the past six years, this karate treatment to contain its spread, last
VI student of Ahmedabad’s champ has conscientiously developed winter she wrote We Will Surely
Khighly-ranked St. Kabir the discipline and mental toughness Sustain on the incidence and spread
School, is among a growing league required of this sport. “I am ready to of the pandemic and its impact on
of promising practitioners of kara- work hard at my studies and karate. her own life.
tae, the mentally and physically My dream is to win an Olympics Driven by a generous nature,
demanding Japanese martial art. medal,” he vows. Abhijita donates a large percent-
Last month (June), he was crowned Don’t rule it out! age of the royalty from her books to
e-Kata champion in the Under-14 Runa Mukherjee Parikh (Ahmedabad) Chhoti Chhoti Khushiyan, a non-
category of the Ahmedabad-based profit working to eradicate hunger
International Shotokan Karate among the poor. She has also raised
United (ISKU) online Kata Champi- funds to help the underprivileged
onship, a substantial improvement ABHIJITA GUPT suffering income and job losses in
over last July’s championship when this pandemic. “When I grow up, I
he bagged the bronze. want to serve poor people as a doc-
Competing in karate tourna- lthough she is yet only a class tor. However, I will continue to write
ments is routine for this pre-teen III student of the Presidium because I believe that’s God’s gift to
Black Belt. Thus far, he has won 13 ASchool, Delhi, Abhijita Gupt me,” says this inspiring child author,
district, state, national and interna- (8) is the author of two books. Her now working on her third title which
tional-level Kata and Kumite — solo first published last September, was a she expects to complete by October-
and duo techniques of self-defence prose and poetry volume titled Hap- end.
— tournaments with a medals tally piness All Around and her second, Autar Nehru (Delhi)
of 24. “Covid has changed every- a non-fiction book We Will Surely
thing. I never imagined attending Sustain was published in
online school, let alone participat- February this year. These
ing in an online karate tournament. feats have won her entries
Neither tasks are easy given our in the International Book
poor connectivity. Kata i.e, solo of Records, World Book of
tournaments have also moved Records, UK, Asia Book of
online with participants required Records and India Book of
to make video submissions,” he Records. Moreover, she has
laments. inked an agreement with
The only child of Rasesh Sang- Invincible Publishers, Guru-
hvi, a private firm executive, and gram to write four books.
mother Ruhi, a naturopath, Kairav The only child of Ashish
was introduced to this traditional Gupt, a chartered accoun-
Japanese martial art at age six tant working for Mother
when his father enrolled him in the Dairy, and engineer-turned
Navrangpura centre of the Black businesswoman Anu-

66 EDUCATIONWORLD AUGUST 2021